Hardened Winds
by Tenebres d'Eden
Summary: A conspiracy that taints everything in black. Would the avatar really try to kill Katara? And is his best friend capable of siding with the Fire Nation, delivering a staggering betrayal that has happened already two years before? [COMPLETE]
1. Prologue

**Hardened Winds**

_Prologue_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The aurora borealis up there was absolutely breathtaking.

The colors in the sky twirled and intertwined with one another in a mesmerizing dance, cerulean blue, nostalgic rose, and ocean green all blending into an incomparable masterpiece. The usual monotonous black of midnight was chased away by these blithe illusions, and heaven seemed to sparkle from above, beckoning those on earth to soar high and reach its glorious gates. Never seeming to stay in one place, the colors floated from here to there, gracefully moving in the freezing, arctic skies, and down below, a little, forsaken twelve-year-old sighed and huddled closer to himself, trying desperately to chase away the cold that threatened to dominate him from the outside and from the inside.

Just then, the ice seemed to crack somewhat from behind him, and alarmed, the child swiftly turned his head. Yet just as quickly, he let out an imperceptible sigh of relief, because the sound had only been caused by a friend. Tall and lean, an older adolescent now stood before the younger one, and unlike the latter, he was smart enough to be attired in a thick, winter coat. The teenager smiled half-heartedly when he saw his smaller companion.

"It's been a long time since we were here, right, Aang?" he asked, hoping to keep his tone light as he looked up to the northern lights. "Wow. The aurora borealis is even more beautiful than I remembered."

"Yeah."

Aang kept his head down, his mouth set in a grim line, and began tracing on the ice. Soon enough, his hands became blue and pale, but he liked how the cold pierced through his skin. It was a nice distraction, after all.

"Don't do that, Aang," his friend finally chastised him after a moment, lifting the avatar's hand away from the ice. "And didn't I tell you to wear warmer clothes? Aren't you freezing here?"

"Okay, Sokka," Aang said, his voice deadpan. "Yes and no."

"Come on, Aang," Sokka said gently, "cheer up. You can't stay grumpy like this forever. You can't-…."

"_How…_" the airbender abruptly interrupted him, his small frame beginning to shake, "… how can I cheer up? _How_ can I be happy when I failed as the avatar? When the Fire Lord has already controlled the comet and has already taken the Earth Nation's capital? How can I be cheerful… when it's already too late?"

The twelve-year-old was now shaking more than ever, his gray eyes tightly closed as images of his fatal failure flashed through his mind again and again. It was so hard to believe that after all his long, intensive training, the Fire Nation had at last won over him. After all, he thought despondently as he held up a hand and lit up a small fireball, after all these harsh, unforgiving months, he _had_ done what Avatar Roku had instructed him. He had accomplished the impossible. He had mastered all four elements before summer's end.

_And that's why,_ a little voice in his head murmured, _it's not your fault. At least not completely. It was-…_ But Aang shut his mind to the sinister voice, screaming inside until it finally quieted down. Because it was better to believe that it was entirely his fault. It was easier to believe that it was only because of him that Ozai had won. And not because…

"Aang."

Sokka had put his hands firmly on his shoulders, and somehow the child's shaking stopped, subdued to slight shivers.

"Aang," the fifteen-year-old repeated again, and this time his voice was carved into a soothing tone. "It's not your fault that all this happened. You know you could have defeated Ozai by yourself before the comet arrived. It's because of that blasted Zuko that it didn't happen…" And gradually, Sokka's tone became harsh with hatred, "… it's because of Zuko you were captured right before the comet arrived. And it's not only because of him…. I mean, you could've easily escaped from the stupid firebender… it was because… it was because of her, too."

A silence followed his passionate speech, and although only a few seconds passed, it seemed as the air became suddenly much colder to Aang after Sokka once again forced him to accept the sneering truth. And when the avatar spoke up, his voice was unsteady and fragile.

"Why…" he whispered, his innocent, uncomprehending facade breaking, "why would Katara do that?"

Silently, the arrow on his forehead began slowly pulsing a vibrating blue.

"I really thought… I can't imagine… she was supposed to be on our side!" Aang burst out, and his ferocious, mixed feelings thrashed inside him, threatening to overcome him like all those other times when his avatar spirit had nearly controlled him. "All those months, when she was captured by Zuko, all I could think was whether she was okay, whether he was hurting her… and when I was training, I always thought that I was doing it for her, that I was becoming more powerful so that one day, I would be strong enough to break into Zuko's fortress (wherever that is) to rescue her and everything would be back to normal. Because she never seemed to be on his ship, and I thought all this time, Katara wanted the same thing –to be free and with us. And-… and-… I don't know what happened! How could she….?"

Clutching his head in agony, his eyes opened to reveal an endless ghostly blue and enraged winds abruptly swirled around him, almost knocking Sokka down. A look of panic flashed on the older adolescent's face before he went into action, holding Aang down with his hands on the airbender's shoulders. The winds whipping around the two were bitter, howling with hurt and anger, and for a moment, they only seemed to be gaining more momentum. All Sokka could do was hold his friend down, lest Aang levitated and created even more damage with his full potential presently within his grasp.

And when Sokka heard a loud, ominous crack in the ice, he forcefully gripped the avatar's shoulders and shouted:

"Aang! That's enough!"

Almost instantly, the avatar spirit receded, leaving a shaking and heaving boy who was now grasping his arms tightly while tears trickled down his face, sobs escaping his lips every now and then. The airbender knew he shouldn't have done that, that he should've kept control. He was shivering wildly from the biting cold now, tired and weak from his unwanted outburst, and he could feel his face literally freezing from his unneeded tears. Of course, the discomfort he felt outside was nothing compared to the twisting, excruciating hollow he felt inside. Because ever since he had seen her serene, smiling face proudly proclaiming her alliance to the Fire Nation, everything he had believed in had evaporated, leaving a hollow, disconsolate shell in its place. _And we were supposed to be a family._

The child looked up to Sokka, who still had one hand on his shoulder, and he knew nothing would ever be the same. Yes, Aang could see his older friend was doing everything he could to try to make him feel better, but judging by the flicker of panic in his cerulean eyes, the avatar knew that Sokka just wasn't able to do that. He didn't have his sister's openness and warmth; he just couldn't hug him and make him believe that everything would be all right in the same appeasing voice as Katara's…

_At least he didn't betray you,_ a biting voice abruptly piped up, and the young monk could only agree reluctantly, shivering and freezing.

And the lovely scenery of hostile, jagged ice all around him only encouraged his poignant mood.

"You know what?" Sokka suddenly asked, his voice lively and jovial again. "I just came up with an idea."

Sighing, Aang didn't bother to say anything.

"Okay then…" the twelve-year-old could just feel Sokka scowl at his back before the latter continued: "Three days ago, you were captured by Zuko and Katara and they held you in their ship until the comet arrived. The Fire Lord managed to control the comet and destroy the Earth Nation Capital with it. And then, since Zuko knew that even the avatar couldn't defeat the Fire Nation after that, he just let you go, and the first place you wanted to go once you were free was the South Pole."

"And now here we are. Thank you, Sokka, for the recap of the events," Aang muttered, scowling in turn.

"No, no. I have more. You're brooding here, thinking you can't do anything, and now I –Sokka- obviously come to your aid and bring light back into your life with this awesome idea. Okay, Avatar Roku said that if you don't defeat Ozai by this summer's end, even the avatar himself couldn't win over the Fire Nation, right?"

The airbender only nodded dejectedly.

"But here's the thing," Sokka began, and it almost seemed as if his normal, happy attitude was coming back after all these days. "He said even the avatar _himself_. Now what does this tell you?"

"That I completely failed him?"

"Aang! Don't beat yourself up! It _means_, you idiot, that you still have a chance. I mean, all this time, we always thought that you were supposed to handle everything all by yourself… which is quite a stupid concept, leaving the world to a twelve-year-old, once you think about it. Aang, what you need to do is get more people on your side. Build… I don't know… a resistance…. an _army_ against the Fire Lord. You may not be able to win by facing Ozai alone, but if there's people behind you, the Fire Nation has no chance. So what if the other nations are on the brink of destruction? There are still loads of people out there –broken up maybe- but somehow they're still together because they all hate the Fire Nation. And didn't you make tons of friends the past year? Come on, Aang, you have to admit that I'm genius here."

A lingering moment of silence followed before Aang replied quietly:

"I don't think I can do that, Sokka."

Sokka had had a proud smile on his face, but when his friend had uttered those words, the grin immediately slid off his face.

"What? Why not?"

"People everywhere have no hope now that the Earth Nation practically lost the war already," the avatar pointed out forlornly.

"So what? All they need is a little pep talk. They need _us_ to give them hope."

"Except… I don't see how I can give hope to others when I don't have any myself."

What Sokka was suggesting was an impossible concept, Aang mused wryly. After all, he still needed a lot of time to heal himself. He just couldn't jump up and save the world, not in his current condition. What was Sokka thinking really? He couldn't help wonder this without a hint of anger. Yet the avatar had to admit that there were so many other times when he had felt despair dawn on him, only for him to conquer it and come out of it as cheerful as could be. This was different though. First off, he had failed Avatar Roku. He had failed everybody. And the other times when he had felt disconsolate, he always had had two great people to help him up. Now, it was only reduced to one, and Aang somehow felt handicapped, only being able to reach out to one friend who couldn't help being distant… at least compared to the other one.

_But I should've been able to break out of Zuko's ship!_ Aang thought fiercely. _I knew all four bending skills… how couldn't I…? _The answer was obvious, really. When he had learned that Katara had purposely lured him here, only to deceive him, he had gone in shock. For the mind of an innocent twelve-year-old, these things just couldn't happen. People you have learned to love deeply don't simply lie to you with a bright smile and then feel absolutely no remorse for their actions. And all that time when he had been captive, he had shouted and begged at Katara, sometimes asking whether this was all a joke –a dream- and sometimes demanding for her to let him go. But he hadn't been that stupid. He _had_ tried to escape. However, Katara had been his guard though, and even then, he hadn't been able to hurt her. Because it hadn't been as if the girl had suddenly turned dreadful and terrible. In a way, she had still been Katara –generous, gentle, and smiling. Except now… in love with his nemesis' son and sworn on the side of the Fire Lord.

And the fact that he had had a crush on her just made the pain worse.

"Come on, Aang," Sokka gently shook him, interrupting his train of melancholy thoughts. "You can't let the past drag you down like that. You can't let _her_ do that to you. In these kinds of times, you have to get back control."

_Control._ The word resonated in the young monk's head until he finally stood up, his semi-closed eyes staring into the depth of the beautiful northern lights that still floated ahead.

"You know what, Sokka? You're right," he whispered slowly, letting the hopeful words tumble uncomfortably from his mouth. "I can't give up now. And I guess I can maybe defeat Fire Lord Ozai if I have people behind me. An army…" he looked down, a fleeting ghost of his usual, childish smile on his face, "… that would be nice."

"That's the spirit!" the fifteen-year-old cried enthusiastically. "And what do you mean, 'I _guess_?' _Of course_ you can do it! You-…"

But Aang had long shut off his mind from his friend. Power. Control. That was what he needed now. Power to just draw away from the haunting memories that cast a shadow of doubt to everything he knew. And control of his skills, his life… everything. He would once again take on the world…

_So that my world won't crumble again._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** Wow… after more than a year away from I have gloriously returned with this amazing story! Okay, okay –most likely this story isn't that amazing (or good, for that matter) and it's also my first fanfiction concerning _Avatar: The Last Airbender._ But the show rocked so much that I just had to subconsciously make my own story for it, despite my previous belief that I was totally over making my own fanfics. Yes, yes, the first chapter (the prologue, to be accurate) is rather boring, and many Katara-lovers are probably saying, 'Idiot! You made Katara way too OOC! She would never betray Aang and Sokka!' right this minute. And I agree with you guys: I did make Katara rather OOC, but I need her to be like that for my story. Besides, I have rather good reasons (or excuses):

You guys have to admit that Katara does get blinded (at least a little) when she falls for people (and usually the wrong people). Ahem… Jet episode… ahem. Yeah, maybe not the best example, but I really don't get how Katara could have fallen for Jet in the first place –I mean…. Look at his looks! Aren't they at least a tad bit suspicious? And in the end of the episode, when it becomes obvious that Jet is planning to blow up the dam, she keeps saying to Aang, 'Jet wouldn't do that!' until the guy comes in and tries to kill our beloved avatar. If that isn't blind… I don't know what is. Going on….

Yeah, that's it for now. I'll try to organize my thoughts for this story and hopefully Chapter 1 (remember, this is the prologue only) will be posted soon.

Review if you're nice.


	2. The Avatar's Army

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter I_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Two Years Later_

"Hey, Misaki! Is your division ready?"

"Not yet, boss! They still need training when it comes to bows and arrows!"

"Well, hurry up! The avatar is planning to strike against the Fire Nation soon, and we need all the men we can get!"

"With all his great powers, Sokka, I'm still wondering why the avatar needs us at all!"

Groaning at hearing the same question all over again, the tall seventeen-year-old opened his mouth to answer, but before he could come up with a proper reply, his feet had already led him away from his friend and into another busy chamber of the Omashu castle. _I'll answer him later,_ Sokka pondered, sighing with a small smile on his lips as he watched all of his friends hurrying to complete whatever mission was at hand. Only two years had gone since most had lost hope of ever stopping the Fire Nation, yet now it all seemed possible.

No, more than possible, Sokka reminded himself. The avatar's troops were almost ready, and any time now, Ozai would be overthrown. And thinking about that, a confident smile flashed across the boy's face before he quickly exited the room and entering another long, dark hallway. He winced, though, when he left all the bustling, happy sounds of his friends. Now he only had the amplified sounds of his footsteps as company.

The place had always been too big for his comfort, with the unappealing earth walls and the constant lack of proper lighting. Why King Bumi had insisted on living here the adolescent would never know. Omashu's king had been one of the resistance's greatest help, gathering earthbenders from around the globe for the avatar's army and teaching the last airbender military tactics, as well as informing him of the Fire Nation's more important bases.

Yet even King Bumi, who had lived to be more than a hundred years old, had known that he would not be participating in the war, and many times, he had warned Aang of this. And true to his word, the king had passed away a year ago, leaving the castle for the avatar and his new resistance forces. Thankfully, his final gift –the castle itself- was a great advantage to everyone. Sokka knew he should be grateful that his idea of the Resistance, which had been nothing but an elusive suggestion two years ago, was finally taking shape. And he was, definitely. _Still,_ he thought, _it just _had_ to be a big, dark castle made of dirt. And I've had a year to get used to it._ _I wonder if Aang actually likes the place._

Oh, well. He would have to ask his friend slash leader the next time he saw him. For now, he had to get in touch with Gloria, who had been assigned to furnish the troops with seemingly endless provisions and to plan their attack on Haidad, an important Fire Nation city. Finally reaching the end of the hallway, Sokka swiftly made it to his left before an uncertain voice popped in his head. _Was it left… or right? I can never remember which._ Sighing, the teenager prayed he had made the right turn. Anyway, he had tried talking to the vivacious waterbender the previous night, and he was still irked on how she had merely chased him away with a few snapping words and an indignant glare.

_Does that remind me of anyone?_

Katara had been like that once. But he pushed that unwelcome thought to the furthest corner of his mind. No need to think about the enemy now.

"Gloria!" Sokka thundered when he finally saw the middle-aged lady, who was currently braiding her long blond hair, in a small cramped room. "Why are you doing your hair when you can be at the avatar's service?"

Gloria was surrounded by a multitude of enormous barrels, and in fact, she was presently sitting on one. The woman didn't seem concerned about her crowded environment, though, and she even ignored Sokka until he marched right up to her and gently punched her in the arm.

"Don't you know…" the petite woman hissed dangerously, waving her hand in an all-too-familiar motion, "… how much I hate it when you do that?"

And before the boy could react, he was cruelly splashed by freezing water, and for a moment, all he could do was gag and glare at Gloria as she laughed at the sight. _The North Pole tribe is a very sadistic group,_ Sokka told himself for the umpteenth time.

"You've had your fun," he muttered before inquiring in a louder voice: "Is Haidad ours yet?"

Gloria instantly frowned but didn't say anything until Sokka asked his question again. At last, she stood up and clapped her hands.

"I know you're going to hate hearing this, but I have another plan for the avatar," she stated, her voice vibrating and sure.

"And that is…?" Sokka said tentatively, already a little annoyed; he hated when the waterbender made unexpected changes to their long, sought-out plans.

"Okay, I think we don't need to conquer Haidad."

"_What?_"

In an instant, the boy had an incredulous look on his face, which –both of them knew- would soon turn to anger if Gloria did not explain her thoughts to him soon.

"Now listen, Sokka. It makes perfect sense, If-…"

"Wait a minute, Gloria… are you saying that you didn't-…"

"Don't interrupt! I'm certain-…"

"You didn't make ANY plans, did you? You didn't even START! And why do you we have whole divisions waiting for your cue? Why-…"

"The avatar," Gloria's voice was now booming and threatening, preventing Sokka from making any further interjections, "I declare, is now perfectly capable of attacking Ozai directly with the current army he has. With good, solid planning and a wise organization of our men, I believe that we have total control of the war now."

Sokka stared at the woman for a minute, his mouth gaping as he couldn't grasp his words. And when he did regain his speech, he glared at his friend and whispered:

"You're nuts."

"Am I really?" the blond replied silkily, wearing an expression that the seventeen-year-old could only deem as a totally psychopathic look. "Look, for the person who's the avatar's second-in-command, you're rather thickheaded, Sokka. We may not have much Fire Nation territory, and Haidad may strengthen our control of their land, but what for? For two years, our leader has been gathering forces and has been developing his skills, and now he's more than ready to take the Fire Lord. I've thought of what he can do, and I know what our troops can do. And I'm now asking… what's the point of delaying our victory when we can have it _now?_"

"Gloria, I don't think you get our situation," Sokka retorted, exasperated. "We only have _one_ chance to win. If we act rashly and lose, we fall apart. Aa-… The avatar and I know that we can't take our chances like that, and with Haidad, not only do we undermine Ozai's confidence, but we also get more supplies, people, and control. To win, we need an impenetrable base. We may be strong now, but before we do our final attack…" he looked at Gloria directly in the eye, "we need to be as close to invincible as we can. Or else anything can happen."

_Like the last time._

The adult merely grimaced at him before pointing at the door, and Sokka was afraid she was ordering him out with the threat of a tantrum when she hissed:

"Why don't you ask the chief for his opinion? I bet _he_ would see where I'm going to, because frankly, Sokka, I think you're way too much on the defensive. If we had you as a leader, we would never come to attack the Fire Nation Capital."

"Fine then, I will!"

And glowering at Gloria, he stomped out of the room, stunned and irritated at the fact that the woman hadn't understood anything after the wise lecture he had given her. _Heh… me giving lectures –it would have been an impossible concept a few years ago, _the boy mused, remembering how he seldom reprimanded other people… unless it had been to his sister, of course. Times had changed though, and although he was presently smarter and wiser than he had been before, he still found himself to be more or less Sokka. Too bad he couldn't say the same for his best friend.

_The avatar._ As the teenager sauntered from one hallway to another with the mission of reporting Gloria's madness to Aang, he realized he was tired of hearing the young monk being addressed as the avatar all the time. It was what the airbender wanted though.

_"Why don't you let them just call you Aang? You didn't care before whether people knew your name or not."_

"I don't know. I guess it's because I'm now a leader of something. And if they want to see me as the leader, they have to see me as only the avatar. I guess… I won't be much of a leader if they knew I was only twelve-year-old Aang."

_They would, though, Aang, I'm sure they would,_ Sokka thought, imagining himself talking back to the memory. _Why do you have to be so-…_

Just then, he came across a small, bald man being led by two of the avatar's lesser guards. The stranger was attired with sullied rags that were falling apart, and his grimy skin obviously had not been washed for days. There was a determined scowl adorning the man's face, and Sokka stopped to guards to ask them what their prisoner had done.

"He's a spy and a voucher for the Fire Nation," one of them answered crisply, glowering at the filthy man.

"He tried to infiltrate the castle by pretending to want to help our cause when he was really just a miserable spy for Ozai," the other added, his tone not bothering to hide his disgust. "The bastard keeps babbling that the Fire Nation is doing more good than the avatar's forces, and our leader ordered us to take the scoundrel to him immediately."

When he heard the guard utter the last part of his statement, Sokka had to hide a smile. Nevertheless, he gave the prisoner a stern stare and coolly asked him:

"What do you have against us?"

"You're all horrible!" the man spat at him, his face now contorted in rage. "You side with the _avatar_, who claims he wants to free us from the Fire Nation, but all he's doing is causing trouble and killing innocent people. The Fire Nation is ruthless, I know, but its goal is to conquer the world, not to kill unnecessarily, which is apparently your goal."

"You treacherous rogue!" one of the guards instantly bellowed. "We should-…"

"You're just as bad as the bunch of kids I saw a few years back, all naively led by a madman. What was his name? Jet or something…"

Hearing the despicable name after so long, Sokka gritted his teeth and abruptly grabbed the man's head so that he was now forced to look into the teenager's enraged façade.

"How dare you," he whispered softly, "compare us to those stupid fools? You know nothing of what we have accomplished, of what we have done. I hope… the avatar will give you what you deserve."

And motioning for the two guards to continue on their way, Sokka sighed and made sure the others were out of sight before he slumped down and stretched. _No use going to Aang now when he has to deal with that first._ Thinking about what he had just told the spy, he snorted and put his arms behind his head. No matter how grand and stern the airbender had been portrayed in so many rumors, Aang was always relaxed and lenient with his captives… perhaps even more so than with his troops. At that surprising realization, Sokka smirked. _Ironic but true._

He distinctly remembered what had happened with their first prisoner.

----- ----- -----

The enormous chamber would have been pitch back was it not for its tall, hostile candles, which were ablaze with small, almost demonic flames. And even then, the room was half hidden in shadows, its atmosphere angry and ominous. The walls were blood red, making the visible shadows even more frightening against the background, and the double doors were heavily bolted shut. There were no windows either, if a hopeful captive was looking for one, and therefore there was practically no way to escape. This was the situation the current prisoner found himself in as he faced the avatar and his second-in-command.

He was a middle-aged man reaching his sixties, with wrinkles all over his tired visage and his hair already a pale, old gray. Yet youthful energy and enthusiasm were flaming in his eyes, and that was exactly the problem; he was a passionate man, but for the wrong cause. And that was why he was now sitting in a chair, his feet and hands tied tightly together while gleaming, steel chains securely kept him seated. A heavy silence dominated the vast chamber until at last the second-in-command spoke.

"Why do you wish to harm the avatar?"

The man's head was bowed down, and when he was thrown this inquiry, he at first did not show any signs of even hearing Sokka's harsh voice. Yet after a moment, he closed his eyes and replied calmly:

"I want to stop all this madness. I don't wish to harm anyone."

Scowling at the prisoner, the sixteen-year-old opened his mouth, ready for another brutal inquiry, when suddenly, with a swift gesture of his hand, the avatar himself stopped him.

"It's okay, Sokka," Aang told him gently, and his friend could only give him a skeptical look.

The airbender nodded before unexpectedly going to a darkened corner of the chamber, and he soon came back carrying a chair that Sokka could have sworn was not there before. Ignoring his friend's raised eyebrow, Aang swiftly put the chair down so that its back was facing the prisoner, and just as quickly, the airbender sat on it, but he was sitting in a way so that now, he and the prisoner were facing each other completely.

"Hi," the boy started, smiling gently, and surprise registered on Sokka's face; ever since last summer's end, Aang rarely smiled, and when he did, it was a small, almost sad grin that evidently hid secrets.

And that was the smile he gave the prisoner as the avatar opened his mouth and said:

"I'm Aang."

----- ----- -----

The two of them had been supposed to appear invincible when they had been with that prisoner, yet the first thing his best friend had done was reveal his name, making himself seem vulnerable…. making himself look like the frail thirteen-year-old he had been. It hadn't made sense to Sokka that fateful day with their first prisoner, and even today, he still had trouble accepting the fact that Aang could easily give away his name to their captives yet conceal it protectively from his own followers.

And reminiscing about that day so long ago, he asked himself if it had been luck that changed the prisoner's mind and made him their ally… or the casual, friendly way Aang had tried to talk to him, to convince him that they were only trying to save the world.

Sighing, the adolescent sluggishly stood up and yawned. Aang had been, from the very beginning…. Weird. Just plain weird. From his extreme hobbies to his abnormal pets to his happy-go-lucky attitude. Of course, he _used_ to have extreme hobbies, and he _used_ to have a carefree personality, and it was sad to think how much the young monk had changed since those blithe times. The weirdness, though, hadn't disappeared, and this was a fact that Sokka wasn't sure to be grateful for.

And one of the avatar's strange habits was to go easy on his prisoners, acting as if they were old, stubborn friends who just needed some talking to. The second-in-command had admonished his friend's tactics countless times, but he had stopped when it became obvious that Aang's relaxed attitude towards their captives was working. Had Aang been wise and known that it would work all this time… or was it that Lady Luck was smiling at him again?

_Let's not get to into this. As long as it works…_

And smiling cheerfully, Sokka stood up and continued to head to the avatar's chambers. Yes, he knew that the prisoner's questioning room was completely to the opposite direction of where he was going, but he reasoned that by now, Aang must have been done with that spy. Sokka had seen smarter, more determined, and more dangerous prisoners before, and even they had soon been forced to agree with Aang's point of view. The fourteen-year-old was probably in his room now, relaxing, and he was usually in his best moods when he had just finished with a captive.

A few minutes later, Sokka saw the huge, wooden doors that led to the avatar's bedroom, and he quickened his steps. However, before he reached those doors, an earthbender guard stopped him in his tracks.

"Where are you going, commander?" he asked him briskly, yet the boy could clearly hear a subtle tone of respect; at least the guard knew who he was.

"I'm going to the avatar's room," Sokka replied just as crisply, although he wondered why he even bothered to answer; his destination was quite _obvious._ "You may step aside."

And he was even prepared to push the guard away when the adult blocked his path with his spear. And even though Sokka hated to be intimidated, the weapon was quite long and sturdy… and did he mention sharp? A boomerang certainly could not compete with that. Not at this distance anyway.

"Isn't the avatar in his room?" the teenager asked coolly, beginning to feel a little irate at the guard's obnoxious behavior.

"He is not," the other, much to Sokka's bewilderment, answered. "And his specific orders were that nobody would enter the room until he came back. I'm sorry, commander."

So his friend did not finish his 'conversation' with that traitor, the teenager mused, sighing. Maybe it wasn't that easy to convince your enemies after all. And now the main question arose: did he want to wait for Aang forever? He hadn't seen or talked to him for weeks, and Sokka felt it was his duty as the airbender's only true friend to come to him every now and then just to have some laughs. Of course, these days, it wasn't as if Aang actually _laughed_ much but…

Just then, his stomach let out a rather loud growl, and the guard smiled in amusement. Groaning, Sokka realized he hadn't eaten his breakfast, and he was rather hungry now. Plus, since the prisoner was apparently not the cooperating type, he had no idea how long Aang would be stuck with him. When his friend finally came back, he might even find a skeleton of his best friend lying at his feet and…

_Okay, let's not get too carried away here._

"Hey…" Sokka then turned to the guard and adopted a casual, friendly tone. "Do you –by chance- have anything to eat on you?"

"Nope, sorry."

Sokka let out another frustrated groan. The Fire Nation could not get between Aang and him. Katara's betrayal could not get between them either. Yet_ food…_ Apparently, some habits Sokka would never be able to change.

"Guard, please inform the avatar that I wish to see him as soon as possible. Ask him whether he can schedule a meeting for us," the adolescent told the sentry, inwardly scowling at how this had so quickly become an official appointment with the avatar and not an opportunity to hang out with his best friend.

Guilt was still gnawing inside him, but Sokka reasoned that Aang would certainly not want to hear his stomach growl all through their chat anyway. He looked sternly at the guard, waiting for a reply, but suddenly, before the earthbender had a chance to open his mouth, another guard, his expression urgent, rushed into the scene and pulled the other aside. _What the…?_ Sokka wondered as he watched the two confer in their own corner, their indistinct voices quick and even a little panicked. Their private conversation, much to Sokka's annoyance, lasted for several minutes before the two earthbenders finally broke up, but even then, it didn't seem as if either of them wanted to tell him what was going on.

"Ahem," the second-in-commander cleared his throat loudly after a moment, "I would very much like to know what you guys were talking about."

The first guard, who presently had a worried visage, grimaced slightly before beginning to answer, but his quiet words did not reach Sokka's ears, because just then, light footsteps could be heard approaching and the South Pole native instantly turned around to face the newcomer.

"Sokka," a quiet voice acknowledged him, "what are you doing here?"

"Hey!" Sokka cried cheerfully at the same time as the two guards bowed and said in unison, "The avatar!"

The small fourteen-year-old looked at all three of them with an expressionless façade, his dark gray eyes tranquil as he regarded them all. Despite the years, the airbender had remained with his slight, frail physique, and besides the fact that he was significantly taller, he still looked like the jovial twelve-year-old he once had been. His clothes had changed somewhat, though; it was still the same attire, true, yet the colors were now of a darker hue, just like his eyes and his past.

"So… how was the captive?" Sokka asked cheerfully. It was the usual question he asked after the young monk came back from the prisoner's chamber, and normally, Aang would reveal one of his rare smile then and attempt to reply just as happily.

However, this time, the airbender turned to look at him intently, and the seventeen-year-old instantaneously knew something was wrong, even though his friend's face was blank. Besides Sokka, the two guards were suddenly solemn.

"Aa-… What happened to him?" Sokka inquired meekly after a prolonged moment, and only then did Aang seem to actually hear the question.

And when he did, he closed his eyes, a gesture of resolution and regret, and whispered:

"He's gone now, Sokka."

"He's… _gone?_ You… you didn't… you couldn't have…."

The older teenager was now gaping at the avatar, his eyes wide with surprise and shock. For a minute, Aang continued to gaze at him gravely before he swiftly turned to the guards.

"Erin, Ryo, you are dismissed," he nodded towards them, and when the two men bowed to him, he shook his head slightly and amiably said: "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to bow like that? In fact, that's an order."

The guards blinked, dumbfounded, at the airbender before uttering a "Yes, sir!" and quickly scurrying away. Meanwhile, Sokka seemed to recover his senses, or at least his ability of speech, because he soon cautiously queried:

"You didn't kill him, did you, Aang?"

The airbender let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, Sokka, I… killed him."

All Sokka could do was stare at his best friend as a slight shiver passed through his body. No wonder the guards had been so somber and even perhaps a little frightened. After all, it wasn't like Aang to kill off a prisoner. What had happened to all those times when the monk had always been able to resolve a conflict with a captive? What had happened to the Aang who would smile and show mercy and compassion no matter how vicious and horrid the prisoner was?

Abruptly, a grotesque image of the traitor's corpse came to Sokka's mind, and he asked himself, aghast, how the avatar had killed him off. Did he suffocate the spy in water? Did he bury him alive? Or worse… did he _burn_ him alive? The avatar had all those powers, and for now, Sokka preferred to think that it was the avatar who had so pitilessly slain the captive and not…

_"Will you go penguin-sliding with me?"_

_"Nice dress, Sokka."_

_"You could call it luck… or you could call it lying..."_

"Yes, Sokka, you should really shut your mouth now."

"So…" the leader of the Resistance at last broke the silence, glancing at his friend's stunned visage, "do you have anything else you would like tell me?"

"Ah… um… yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Sokka replied quickly, nodding. "It seems that Gloria –that moron- did not make any attack plan for Haidad. Can you imagine that? And we had such high hopes. And you know what's her pathetic excuse? The woman actually thinks we should now directly attack the Fire Nation capital. How reckless is that? That waterbender is completely insane and…" He was ranting, he knew, but perhaps his rambling would temporarily make him forget about what had happened… about what was wrong with Aang…

"Anyway, we probably have to delay our attack on Haidad. I'm sure I can find someone else to get the plan together, Aang. Asuka maybe, or even…"

Yet the avatar stopped him from continuing any farther with a motion of his hand. Aang looked into the distance, his face thoughtful for a long while, before he finally turned back to Sokka.

"I think that's a great idea," he then stated quietly. "I think it's time…. to finish the war once in for all."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** Not the most eventful chapter… I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys. However, I'm rather sure that I couldn't start the story after the prologue with any other chapter, and the reason this one wasn't so action-packed is because this chapter is somewhat like a filler: it tells the readers what has happened the last two years and how our characters have changed. And I hope the OC's weren't so boring either. They're be much more interesting in the next chapter, I promise. That chapter, I have to say, will be full of action and fighting. At least I hope you'll think so when you read it…

How boring was this chapter? No, seriously; I recently found out that I tend to make way too long dialogues and/or rely on redundancy. I hope you haven't seen these errors in this chapter, but if you do, it'll be nice if you inform me of them in the nicest and most constructive way possible. Thank-you.

I was so happy when I got six reviews for my first chapter. It's the most I've got for a beginning fanfiction. I thank all you great readers who have bothered to review!

_Jaqq_: Ah… I see we have a major Katara/Zuko fan here. I'm glad you still like the story, despite the fact that it won't be Katara/Zuko… although those two are together in the next chapter and it does have slight fluff. Actually… it kind of is (gets all thoughtful about that). Thanks for backing up my Jet theory, although about the honor thing, I think it's rather possible that Zuko joins Aang and the rest and forgets about his honor… although perhaps not just because of a girl. Heh.

_someone_: I hope you didn't get impatient then. I'm really glad that you liked the prologue, and compared to that, I guess this chapter is rather dull. Please stay, though; the next one will be much more fun!

_Fran_: Yes, I can't understand Katara/Zuko fans either. And Katara is a little too goody-goody, isn't she? Though we have seen her bad sides, which is a good thing, because I've been acquainted with other goody-goody characters who have never shown their bad sides, which is rather frustrating. You know _Fruits Baskets_ (_Furuba_)? I haven't finished the manga or the anime, but it seems Tohru never gets angry or strays from her flat, smiling personality. Kind of irritating after a while…

The New Girl: You think the prologue was amazing? (glows) Thank-you very much. And thank-you also for correcting that spelling error. Must. Fix. It. Stay tuned.

Saucy Noodles: My sad story that makes you happy makes me happy, too. Hehe. Thanks for your e-mail (it's always great to know that people appreciate you), and I'm looking out for your stories!

MysticWater Bender3: Another non-Katara/Zuko fan! High five there! Thanks for your review and I hope you stay for this chapter!

I'm so glad that all of my reviewers wrote significantly long reviews (it's sad when people review your story only to put in one or two good words about it…), and I hope I'll hear from you for this chapter, too.

I originally planned to post a new chapter every Wednesday, but since my progress is excellent and it's summer, I may post a new chapter Saturday, especially since this one was quite tedious.

Review if you're nice.


	3. Battle Oversea

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter II_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_"Aang, you should be more careful."_

_The ground was unnaturally hard and gritty. It was obvious that it had been visited by the Fire Nation. But she didn't care. She was too busy wrapping up bandages on his burned arm._

_"I'm sorry, Katara."_

_He bowed his head to emphasize his apology, but he also didn't want her to see his face, which was reddening considerably._

_"This is a rather bad burn, isn't it? I'll need to ask Sokka to get some herbs."_

_"Okay then."_

_When she was done with the bandages, she gave him a small hug, and suddenly his arm wasn't so painful anymore._

_"You should be more careful, Aang," she repeated, with concern._

_"I'm sorry, Katara."_

_And before he knew it, he was suddenly standing on the ground, in the dark. Blinking in astonishment, he had no idea where he was. Until he saw the faint outline of pagoda-like buildings. He then instantly knew that he was in the village where the spirit of Hai Bai lived._

_And there was only one thing –one person- he saw clearly. Only one girl who was out of the shadows, protected by the light._

_"__Aang, please, the world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation and... neither can I."_

_The second those words slipped from her lips, he wanted to believe them. He almost did. But even in this darkened place, he remembered. And he turned his head away._

_"But you could. And you did."_

_He looked around then, because he knew he was somewhere else. This time, it merely took him a second to figure out his location. A prison cell in Zuko's ship. Control, he thought, breathing deeply, I need to gain control. _

_But just then, she was there, in front of him, on the other side of the bars. She was smiling, and before he could tell her to go away, she reached for him and touched the arrow on his left hand. _

_Instantly, it glowed a dangerous blue, and he was clutching the bars, his tears streaming and burning his face. Why was this happening all over again? Why did he always… lose?_

_"Why, Katara," he sobbed, and although his eyes were closed, he knew she was vanishing, as quickly as she had disappeared from his life an eternity ago. "Why…?"_

----- ----- -----

"Hum… today's such a wonderful day."

Sighing happily, the sixteen-year-old waterbender leaned onto the edge and looked down at the lapping waves that lazily bumped into the immense gray ship. She let the soft winds playfully tangle her brown hair while her cerulean eyes looked up at the white, cotton candy clouds above, all the while smiling dreamily. Another content sigh escaped her lips. Her home for the last two years seemed so dreary and despondent compared to the lovely scenery beyond, and she shook her head and frowned slightly as she looked at the somewhat dirtied floor beneath her.

"What's wrong, Katara?" a deep voice suddenly spoke up, and the girl immediately jumped and blushed.

However, when she opened her mouth to reply, her voice was steady and confident.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful today is," Katara informed the Fire Nation prince, who had just come to the bow of the ship to join her, "… and about how filthy the ship is."

"Yes, today is a great day to be on the water," Zuko muttered distractedly, but when he heard her insult his ship, he abruptly swerved his head towards her and countered: "The ship's not dirty at all! It may not be _clean_, but…" All words of defense died on his lips when he, in turn, saw the grimy floor, yet he quickly shook the subject off by pointing out: "This ship was designed for efficiency. Not for… _luxury._"

"Well then," the younger teenager folded her arms, "you might as well change that, because there's a girl on your ship now, and she prefers a lifestyle that's at least…" she quickly looked at her surroundings, "… sanitary."

The scarred boy glowered fiercely at her, but instead of reprimanding her harshly, he gritted his teeth before bending towards her and planting a soft kiss on Katara's lips. Another blush quickly rose to the girl's face, but when Zuko gradually pulled back, what he saw was a composed waterbender in front of him. However, the prince still knew her well enough to know that she was presently at least somewhat frazzled.

"There," he said in satisfaction, "that should shut you up about _sanitation_ for a while."

Scowling at him, Katara thought about defying him and talking about the minuscule cabin she was forced to sleep in, not to mention the cramped kitchens and the rotting prison cells. But in the end, she decided to drop on the topic and instead leaned her head on his shoulders.

"Where are we going?" she murmured.

"To Haidad." Zuko's tone was firm and determined.

"Why?"

"There's some… business I want to take care of."

Katara nodded slightly, not bothering to pester him more about his 'business.' Zuko was always a little secretive, no matter how much she knew he loved her. But he did love her, and there hadn't been a moment when the prince hadn't informed her when necessary. The girl had learned long ago to just trust him, because constant poking in his affairs was guaranteed to lead into a heated argument. _And why fight…_ she grinned, once again feeling the sweet sea breeze stroke her cheek, _on such a nice day?_

"What are you smiling like that?" Zuko unexpectedly asked her, looking strangely at her.

The Fire Lord's son adored her smiles, the waterbender knew, but he was never brave enough to admit it. Pride was a rather large obstacle, after all.

"Katara," the boy then started, clearly uncertain, "I think… you should know why we're going to Haidad. In case something happens."

Happy that he trusted her enough to confide in her this time, Katara slowly lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed tranquilly at his face.

"The avatar," Zuko said quietly, "is growing stronger and stronger with his new army."

"I know," she replied, ignoring the small twinge of guilt that she so suddenly felt in her heart; fortunately the uneasy sensation vanished just as swiftly.

"Yet my father still underestimates the airbender, thinking that he is invincible. The fool."

"I know."

"You think you're so smart, don't you," the prince finally turned to look at her, and although a normal person would've taken that as an insult due to his solemn tone, the sixteen-year-old merely smiled. "Anyway, through your sources and what I know, I'm sure that the avatar's resistance is planning to attack an important Fire Nation city soon. And it's most likely Haidad."

"You know my sources are never wrong."

And true to her word, Katara had always made sure that she only gained her knowledge directly from the avatar's army. Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been easy; after all, the Resistance had been trained to be suspicious of all people. However, the waterbender had been known as a close friend of the last airbender, and many of his men still did not know of her betrayal. Besides, who would suspect an innocent, waterbending girl from the South Pole?

With her slim figure and her large, warm eyes, she didn't seem at all capable of hurting others. And in a way, she wasn't. Katara didn't want to get information to hurt people. She was just doing her duty and serving the Fire Nation, because when the people would at last get used to the idea of a world ruled by one nation (which wouldn't be too long now), there would be no more fighting and solely peace. And people like her mother wouldn't need to die unnecessarily ever again.

The Fire Nation was only trying to conquer, not destroy, and it was too late to try to stop it. All the people could do now was to try to end the war as painlessly as possible, and that was Katara's mission.

"I'm going to Haidad myself," Zuko continued, and the girl redirected her undivided attention to him, "to warn the people that there's going to be an attack there soon."

"They'll probably not believe you, you know. To them, you're only a banished prince."

"I didn't forget about that," the eighteen-year-old sighed. "If I fail to warn them (which I probably will), I'll just patrol their coast from the distance. The avatar can only reach the city by water anyway, and I'll make sure I'll get to him before he gets to the city."

"You plan well," Katara grinned at him, "but I'm afraid that the Resistance will have more people than us. Do you think we'll be able to fend them off?"

Zuko heaved another weary sigh.

"I'm not sure. The avatar's army has grown rather powerful these years, despite what my father thinks. But no matter if we win or lose, we'll be helping the Fire Nation, and that's all that counts."

"You're so responsible, Zuko," the waterbender laughed, hugging him. "I'm glad you're still so determined to serve your people, even when… your dad practically abandoned you."

Just then, quiet, yet heavy footsteps could be heard coming towards to them, and the two adolescents quickly turned around to face an elderly, plump man with a platter in his hands that held two cups of tea.

"Uncle," Zuko greeted him.

"Ah, children, I see you're enjoying the gorgeous skies and the gentle winds today," he commented, smiling cordially. "Would both of you like some tea? It's ginseng, my favorite."

"Of course, thank-you," Katara answered kindly at the same time Zuko brusquely replied: "No."

The waterbender and the firebender exchanged a glance before the girl took a cup from Iroh's platter. She could feel the man's troubled, almost suspicious eyes on her, and she subconsciously shuddered. It appeared as if Zuko's uncle was always distant towards her, and although she had no idea why, she was a little frightened nevertheless. It wasn't the wisest decision making an enemy out of Fire Lord Ozai's brother.

Zuko, meanwhile, was gazing skeptically at the other cup of tea, but after a moment he grudgingly took it. Iroh let a smug grin briefly show on his face before he unexpectedly looked at the sky and sniffed the air.

"A storm's coming," he then said quietly.

"Again with your illogical predictions, uncle?"

The more experienced firebender huffed indignantly, but he was cut off by whatever reply he could've shot back by one of Zuko's less experienced men, who suddenly ran towards them, his eyes frantic.

"Prince Zuko," he managed a hasty bow, "I just saw a ship coming towards us. I think it may even be a pirate ship!"

Katara could see the boy grit his teeth in anger, and a light frown adorned her visage, too. Neither of them was fond of pirates, especially after that episode with the stolen waterbending scroll.

"Are you sure?" the prince barked.

"Pirate ship or not, it _is_ coming to us."

"Let me see for myself."

Startled by that curt reply, the soldier babbled for a moment before turning around and jogging back to his post, the temperamental co-captain right at his heels. This left Katara and Iroh alone with their thoughts.

"Bad day for fighting," the retired general sighed after a few minutes, making the girl feel bemused and unsettled.

Zuko returned before she could throw her own comment, and judging by that deep scowl, he was far from pleased.

"I know that ship," he declared. "It's the avatar's! I knew they would be sailing to Haidad soon enough! Though where he got the pirate ship I have no idea…"

Katara immediately recalled that the young monk had also begun disliking pirates after his encounter with them two years ago. _Aang must have changed…_ she mused, astonished.

"Uncle! Tell the men to bring out the catapults! I'm going to keep track of the avatar's ship!" Zuko gave his orders to Iroh, his voice tense and crisp.

"Bringing out the catapults…" the older one wondered out loud, "is that really the best decision, nephew?"

"Be quiet and do what I say!"

Iroh sighed but abided to the banished one's wishes, going back inside and alerting the others. After a moment, it seemed as if the firebender finally realized that Katara was still standing besides him, and he stared at her, obviously astonished.

"You seemed to have forgotten all about me," Katara pointed out, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course not," Zuko said slowly, "I… uh… you should go back inside and find shelter!" he then changed the topic, which was really the coward's way out, the waterbender couldn't help thinking without a touch of amusement.

"Of course I won't just hide away and leave you idiots to fight for yourselves," she retorted, giving him a condescending look. "I'm staying outside and I'm going to fight like the rest of you, whether you like it or not."

As always, hating to be disobeyed, Zuko glared at her, but it didn't last long before he reluctantly gave in.

"Fine, risk your life up here," he told her, his voice deadpan. "But if you get yourself kidnapped, you'll be at the bottom of my priority list."

"_Right_," she said sarcastically, grinning at him mockingly before kissing him fully on the lips.

They stayed like that for a rather long time, but the second the sound of the rolling catapults reached their ears, Zuko gently pushed her away and began directing the crew, ordering them to position the catapults so that it faced west and commanding them to prepare the flaming missiles. Katara watched the hurried men as they worked together in sync to please the prince, her excitement rising in each passing second.

Soon, she was able to see the avatar's ship, and a moment later, the two ships were side by side. It _did_ look like a pirate vessel, Katara noted, gazing serenely at their opponent. It was still rather far away from Zuko's ship, but Katara could distinctly make out its gleaming mahogany body and its pitch-black sail with the four elemental symbols in white drawn in the middle. _Aang's pirates, _the girl thought to herself. _I wonder if they'll be as vicious as the last._

"FIRE!" Zuko unexpectedly roared, and Katara let out a gasp as she heard three huge missiles on fire whoosh above her. The high-pitched noise was horrid and deafening, and she could smell the acrid smoke.

Much to her bewilderment, she found herself praying. _Please let them only hurt the ship. Please don't let the fire hurt the people._ And abruptly, a terrible thought came to mind. _What if…_ she thought, aghast and staring at the other vessel, _what if there are people being burned alive there?_ A part of its deck was beginning to burn and Katara wondered what the people there were doing to try to tame the fire.

"They're coming towards us!" the Fire Nation prince bellowed triumphantly. "Get ready to fight, men!"

Blinking, the waterbender squinted at the small object on the water, which had somehow stopped burning and… yes… it was becoming larger and more threatening at every passing second. It was both a fascinating and a frightening sight. She stared at the looming vessel, fear beginning to mount inside her, and she was disgusted when she found herself losing her confidence. _Get a grip,_ she chastised herself. After all, it wasn't the first time she had had to fight. Yet it had been a long while since the last time they had had to face an adversary, and an even longer while since the last time Zuko had been _looking_ for a battle.

Plus, it was the first time she would have to be facing her former best friend. _Please,_ her prayer became entirely different._ Please tell me that Aang isn't on board. Please tell me I won't have to fight anyone… I know._

And then, the opponent was right besides them. The two ships were almost touching, and gazing at the crowd on the avatar's vessel, Katara realized that they were all pirates. Or at least… they were all _dressed_ like pirates. And judging by their furious, almost savage expressions, they were playing their parts rather well, too. A teenage boy looking barely older than Zuko abruptly stepped up onto the edge of his ship, his thin face enraged and defiant.

"You think you can just bombard our ship and get away with it?" he snarled, pushing a strand of his long, black hair away from his face.

That was when the sixteen-year-old realized that half of the boy's bangs were… bright green? Staring at his hair and at his face, Katara wouldn't have been surprised to see a hook where his hand should've been.

"You were sent by the avatar, weren't you?" Zuko cried in reply, his expression equally bold and angry. "Any friend of the avatar's is an enemy of ours!"

"Moron," the pirate rolled his eyes and smirked. "Long live the avatar!"

He said the last statement with a touch of sarcasm, much to Katara's bemusement, and just as soon as he said that, he conjured a long wooden plank seemingly out of nowhere.

"Come on, men!" he shouted to the rest of his crew. "Let's kick some Fire Nation ass!"

A second later, he and twenty or so other people were on board Zuko's ship, all armed with swords, daggers, and bows and arrows. The girl then discovered that she was too close to the enemy, and she instantly retreated to a safer place within her own group before taking on a fighting stance. When she looked around, she saw that all of Zuko's crew had done the same. Just then, a small, blond woman stepped up besides the boy with the green bangs and murmured something in his ear, but the South Pole waterbender, still closest to the enemy, heard her words.

"Misaki, this isn't part of the plan. What about the reinforcements?"

Misaki frowned at her words.

"We have all the time we need, Gloria," he calmly whispered back, but when he saw her worried expression, he groaned and did the strangest thing; he looked at a few of his men to his right and gestured to them with his hands, and immediately, they nodded and withdrew back to their own ship.

_Strange,_ Katara pondered, all the while reminding herself to tell Zuko about this later.

"Okay then," Misaki at last said out loud, smirking confidently. "Why don't we get this fight started?"

He then raised his two long, thin blades, which glimmered dangerously in the sun, and as if on queue, mayhem right away ensued. Katara barely managed to register what happened exactly when a tall woman clad in black attacked her with her dagger. The girl managed to dodge in time, although she could feel a cut opening in her arm where the weapon had touched her. The raucous clamor all around her was thunderous, yells and curses pressing hard against her ears, and it was so difficult keeping track of the woman, who had quickly vanished.

However, Katara knew the other still had sights on her. Her mouth set on a determined frown, she took a step back and gasped when she abruptly collided with someone else, and before she could turn around to see whether it was a friend or a foe, the woman in black was back, heading straight towards her with the sharp dagger aimed at her heart.

Shrieking, Katara put her hands in front of her, and she had no idea how she had managed to waterbend when her adversary was splashed by water, gasping and stumbling back. The girl, taking a deep breath, performed the water whip and let out a victorious exclamation when the whip sent the woman tumbling overboard. Sighing in relief, she had a quick second to look around and see that everyone seemed to be engaged in lethal combat before a dark-skinned man unexpectedly punched her in the face.

A cry of pain escaped her lips before she came crashing down the floor, and still dizzy by the blow, she could see the man preparing to step hard on her stomach. Fear was quick to overcome her, but apparently, Zuko was quicker as he unexpectedly came into the scene and gave the man a violent kick in the stomach before Katara had time to cower.

"Be careful!" was all he could shout to her before a stranger grabbed him by the throat.

Katara had no time to summon another water whip, because the two of them had already disappeared in the frenzied crowd. _This is not good._

A rough plan soon came into her head. There were limits to her abilities, the waterbender knew. Her best option was to try to get as many people overboard, and that was exactly what she would do. Preparing a water whip, she looked for a suitable victim, and it was just as well that a scrawny man was at that moment rushing towards her, because a second later, he was flying in the air, a peaceful but somewhat agitated sea right below him.

Feeling herself once again in control, Katara smiled to herself, and her smile only broadened when she saw Misaki fighting furiously with Zuko, his blades swift with precision while he gracefully dodged the prince's flaming punches. Yet his back was to Katara, and she knew that the boy was too preoccupied to expect anything from behind. The sixteen-year-old prepared her water whip and lashed it out on Misaki with all her force, and he let out a cry of surprise and fell to the floor.

"I've got you," Zuko muttered, his fist on fire and ready to strike the final blow.

"_No._" The firebender rapidly turned his head to see Katara, who was gazing at him meaningfully with the water whip still at her side. "_I've_ got him."

Zuko had no time to protest, because at the crack of her whip, Misaki was soaring on his way out of the ship, and elated at the fact that _she_ had been the one to overthrow the captain, Katara punched her fist in the air. The fist soon went down, though, when another water whip appeared in midair and practically knocked Misaki back into the ship. Falling heavily to the floor, the boy grimaced and glared at the blond who had so quietly appeared in front of Katara, one hand poised in the air.

"You know," Misaki hissed, "you could have used a gentler way to save me."

"I know," the woman –was her name Gloria? Katara wondered- said nonchalantly.

Zuko, meanwhile, glowered at the two before raising both his fired fists in air, which became pointed at the fiery boy and the blond waterbender.

"Boy, do I really hate firebenders," Gloria sighed, and when the fireballs were unleashed, she extinguished them with a flick of her finger, releasing two small, yet powerful spurts of water.

"Go fight with your prince now while we girls have a heart-to-heart chat," the blond then ordered Misaki, and he and Zuko glared at her even harder. "Fine then," Gloria pouted, her face wearing a bored expression. "I'll make you."

She raised both of her hands, and a big wave rose from the sea only to forcefully push the two boys to the very back of the vessel. Just as naturally, Gloria soon made the wave recede back into the water, and Katara could only gape at how skilled she was in her art.

"I'm pretty good at this, if I do say so myself," Gloria, seeing the girl stare, laughed modestly.

"You're _excellent_."

"Why, thank-you," the blond told her, more please than ever. However, her face soon grew serious when she asked: "Now, I don't understand why such a nice girl like you –who can waterbend, no less!- is with the rotten Fire Nation. Especially when you can be a great and honored warrior of the avatar."

Katara frowned, although she should have known this subject was bound to come up.

"I'm happy where I am now," she politely but firmly informed the other waterbender.

"The Fire Nation is made up of scum," Gloria stated, and her previously serene azure eyes suddenly alighted with hatred. "It would be such a shame for you to be part of their mess."

"The Fire Nation isn't as bad as you think," Katara replied harshly, her anger rising. "They're not trying to hurt people. I think… I think you and your avatar are just looking for trouble!"

At that ruthless response, the older one scowled at her, and it was at that moment that two people –both on the same side, by the looks of it- decided to interrupt their conversation, their arms drawn and their faces feral. Gloria swiftly scrunched her face in concentration and made a quick motion with her hands, and a second later, two torrents hurtled past her and knocked the invaders unconscious.

"Look around you, child," the blond glanced at Katara, "look at what's happening."

A cool frown still on her visage, the teenager slowly turned her head around to scan her environment, and fear gripped her insides when she discovered that things were rapidly turning for the worse for Zuko's crew. The avatar's pirates were obviously well trained and resolute, and it wasn't as if they weren't numerous, either. It didn't appear to matter to them that they were dressed in soiled and torn clothes, or that most of them didn't have the ability to bend.

Their pale, drawn faces were grim, and their eyes had a glint of subtle pride. Katara felt a jolt when she realized that it was the same glimmer she had seen in Aang's gray eyes years ago.

"Yes, the avatar taught his students well," Gloria remarked at last, as if reading into her musings. "He could teach you, too, you know. He taught me quite a few handy things."

Katara snorted. It was ironic that the blond woman was recommending the airbender to her when she had been the first Aang had turned to in order to master waterbending. Though she had a feeling that Gloria would not want to know this.

All of a sudden, from the corner of her eye, Katara saw somebody stepping off the other ship to mount the plank, and her heart stopped when she recognized him. _Haru._ The boy had become taller and more muscular, his face presently glowing with a quiet confidence he had not had before. Besides that, though, he remained the same with his long brown hair and dark green attire. She abruptly took a step back, not wanting for him to see her, but judging by his animated façade, he had other things on his mind.

"Everyone… stop fighting!" he shouted, and when everyone ignored him, he scowled deeply.

_What did he expect?_ Katara wondered, looking at him dubiously. After all, it was hard singling out a voice in all this boisterous fighting, and the girl didn't know how she had managed to distinctly hear him herself. Her eyes still on the new arrival, the waterbender raised her eyebrow when Haru then did a rather strange thing. Slowly closing his eyes, the earthbender raised his hands, and a few moments later, an enormous mass of coal shot up from the ship's chimney, sending sparks of fire as the coal itself remained suspended in midair for all to see.

That stopped all the chaos. Everyone stopped in their tracks to gape at the sight above, and when Haru seemed satisfied with their undivided attention, he slowly dropped the heap back into the chimney.

"I have important news from the avatar!" he thundered after a moment, and he drew a scroll from his sleeve.

In a flash, Misaki was at Haru's side, clearly irked by the earthbender's unexpected appearance. They quickly whispered between themselves for a few minutes, during which Katara noticed Haru giving the scroll to the other boy. When Misaki was done reading it, he had an unreadable expression on his face. Katara was wondering what it meant when someone lightly tapped her shoulder. She whirled around and came face to face with Zuko, who was gazing at Haru and Misaki with distrust.

"How did the earthbender get here?" he whispered to her. "He couldn't have been on the ship all this time."

For a short while, the girl also puzzled over this, but the mystery cleared when she saw a boat besides the avatar's ship –something that had not been there when the fight had started.

"He came from the boat," she then told Zuko, pointing at the smaller vessel, and the prince frowned.

Finally, Misaki addressed the crowd, wearing a small smile on his lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice loud and clear. "The war is over."

Katara's eyes widened. Dread now held her in a strangling hold.

"You heard it right," the pirate captain continued. "The avatar's forces have captured Jennoh, the Fire Nation Capital. The Fire Lord has been captured by the avatar himself. We have at last… won this war!"

"No…" the waterbender heard her prince gasp behind her before a huge roar of victory arose from the pirates.

_The war was over._

----- ----- -----

Gloria was ecstatic.

After more than a century with the merciless Fire Nation on the world's back… after all these decades when she had been hoping, praying for a miracle to end the war… after the years she had trained, she had fought against the enemy… they had finally _won._ The world was no longer held tightly by the Fire Lord's iron grip. They were finally _free._

And for a smaller, more personal triumph, it had been _her_ idea to directly tackle Jennoh instead of wasting time conquering Haidad. And look at that –they had succeeded. _Take that, Sokka._

The firebenders all around her were frozen stiff in shock, and she laughed to herself as she pushed her way to Misaki, enveloping the young, inexperienced boy in a fierce hug. And for the first time, he tightly embraced her back, laughing.

"Long live the avatar!" he roared, whole-heartedly this time, and everyone around her –her comrades, her _friends_- repeated it enthusiastically after him, some punching their fist in the air while others embraced and giggled like children.

Looking at Misaki, she beamed when she saw his radiant face and his wide, warm smile. It illuminated his entire being, and for once, the woman saw him not for the rash, sarcastic, skinny adolescent he usually was but for the talented, generous, capable leader he could also be and had transformed into. Of course, she thought, the gradual transformation had started ever since the former pirate joined the avatar's troops, and in a way, everyone had changed for the better. _Even me,_ she thought, laughing.

"Okay, men," Misaki said after a while, coming back to his senses. "Before we do any more celebrating, we have to make sure the Fire Nation scum is safe behind bars."

He glowered at all the men in red, and since they were clearly outnumbered and presently had nothing to fight for, they gave themselves up willingly, their faces ashen and dejected. _Serves you right,_ Gloria pondered, her face now a mask of indifference. As she watched each firebender being led down to their own prison cells (Misaki had decided to take control of the Fire Nation vessel), she suddenly remembered the naïve, waterbending girl. Her eyes rapidly looked around, searching for her, and she then realized that not only had she vanished, but also…

"Misaki!" Gloria ran urgently to him. "Misaki! The girl and the prince! Where are they?"

The teenager instantly gasped and whirled around, looking furiously for the two, and when he also learned that they were nowhere in sight, he cursed out loud.

"Men!" he turned to five of his crewmembers who currently had nothing to do, relaxing instead at the edge of the ship. "That spoiled prince and his girlfriend have escaped! Go inside and look everywhere for them!"

On cue, they nodded and quickly headed inside. Meanwhile, Misaki had grabbed a random firebender by the collar and was now staring at the poor man in absolute loathing.

"You!" he spat. "Does the ship by any chance hide a small boat in which your captain can escape?"

The firebender looked uncertain, perhaps asking himself whether he should answer the question truthfully or not. But one glance at Misaki's livid visage and his silver blades told him that lying would most likely grant him a quick and painful trip to the Spiritual World.

"Yes, there is!" he answered quickly, his eyes still lingering on the blades. "But he's probably gone by now!"

"Gloria!" the boy barked. "Take five other people and go immediately to where the boat is!" He practically threw the unfortunate firebender to her. "And take this idiot with you. He'll lead you there."

"Right," the waterbender nodded and she motioned for five of her peers to follow her.

"Now you…" she turned to the captive, "you better lead us to the right place, or else I'll…" She made a small wave with her hand, and a ball of water immediately appeared. "You wouldn't believe the many ways I can kill you with just this little," Gloria warned him lazily, and the man was wise enough to pale significantly and scurry inside, quickly followed by the blond and the other five.

They immediately came into a dark corridor. The firebender was fast, swiftly slipping from one hallway to the next, but Gloria kept a constant eye on him, as well as making sure that her fellow comrades were always right behind her. Before she knew it, they had reached the stairs, and they all hurried down.

After all, it wouldn't be much of a win if the prince -a rather hefty prize- managed to escape, and remembering Misaki's previous joyous expression, the woman hated to think about how easily the adolescent's joy could be wiped away. A few minutes later, they were down to the lowest level of the ship, and only a door faced them now.

"The ship should be in this chamber," their captive muttered.

"He should be," Gloria repeated, and she hated how her voice presently had a hint of doubt.

Frowning and determined, the waterbender wrenched open the door, and when she saw an empty room of bare concrete, she clenched her fist and scowled.

"Go up to the deck as fast as you can!" she commanded the other five. "We need to tell Misaki! Maybe if we're lucky, we can still see the boat!"

Gloria bit her tongue in frustration before she grabbed the firebender's collar, literally dragging him behind her as she began hastily following her mates. As she moved from one corridor to another, she wondered why there were so many hallways, why it was taking so much time to get outside… Each passing second helped the enemy get away, and thinking about all the abominable things the Fire Nation had done during their years of ruthless conquest, the blond knew that the prince deserved no forgiveness. _He should suffer._

Finally, an eternity later, she breathed in the fresh sea air. She let go of her load and dashed to the edge of the ship, scanning the peripheral waters carefully and hoping with all her might that she would merely see a tranquil, bare sea.

That was why her heart sank when she saw a small brown dot quickly sailing away, already too far for them to do anything about it. She hung her head, letting a deep sigh escape. A moment later, Misaki was besides her, looking into the horizon and letting out another crude curse.

"It's no use now," Gloria said quietly. "They're gone."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** This chapter was so much more interesting. I think… I hope. Yeah… (shifty eyes) It took a rather long time to edit it all (longest chapter I have so far), and I'm afraid that it may have more errors than the last two chapters. I'm sorry about that, and hopefully it more or less makes sense. Still, it was action-packed, right? And look there (fake gasp): some Katara/Zuko fluff! Minuscule, really, I know… but still there.

Okay now… I'm going to talk about Katara's reason for joining the Fire Nation, besides the fact that she has the hots for the Fire Nation prince. As some of you know and will probably complain about, some sources say that Ozai wants to exterminate all tribes except his own. That sounds rather stupid of him, and at first I didn't believe that. But then… why are the Air Nomads gone and the Water Tribes almost extinct? For a Fire Lord, Ozai is rather dumb. And Katara wouldn't want the genocide of her own tribe, would she?

Now… my (hopefully not too poor) explanation. _She doesn't know what Ozai really wants to do._ The only way she can know is by Zuko, and the latter hasn't seen or talked to his father for ages. And he was pretty naïve the last time he was with his dad, yes? And what about the extinction of the Air Nomads, you ask? Isn't that a clue enough? Well, it would be if Ozai was now trying to get rid of the Water Tribes and all… which he isn't. So genocides and holocausts… that's not what's in Katara's mind when she's serving the Fire Nation.

And I think the Air Nomads were eliminated by the Fire Nation because they lived in high mountains that were truly difficult to reach, as Aang pointed out in 'The Southern Air Temple.' Unless the Fire Nation managed to convince the Air Nomads to work for them, it _had_ to destroy the Air Tribes. After all, it couldn't keep track of them, and airbenders can give major advantages to the other benders. Hopefully, my explanations will satisfy you.

Lots of reviews I got for the last chapter, despite its dullness. I thank you all!

Saucy Noodles: Yes, I'm glad the last chapter explained a little about Aang's new behavior. You'll know more about the avatar soon. And I hope you liked the slight Katara/Zuko fluff… or not.

Jaqq: Hazaa! I'm original! (victory dance) Anyway…. Does this chapter qualify as 'something that happens with Zuko?' Hope you'll review this chapter, too.

Rebel Thief Lava Wolf Cooper: Thank-you; I will!

Blackrosebunny: Don't underestimate yourself, Megan; you're doing very well in your writing. And see… I'm updating! Happy? Thanks for your wonderful review.

_Fran_: Thank-you for your awesome review and I'm going to explain more about the Aang-killing-a-prisoner thing soon.

avatarkgb: Much thanks and I will!

Ryuusui: That was a little confusing… were you talking about my OCs? And I can't wait for your next review!

aangsair: Tada! A new chapter! Hope you enjoy it and I _will_ go deeper into the Aang-killing-a-prisoner thing… eventually.

MysticWaterBender3: Thank-you so much for all the nice things you said and yes… sad stories are fun!

dustbunny99: I'm glad you have such great hopes for my fanfiction (I'm so glad I actually have a plot in mind), and I _think_ I have a good reason for the Katara/Zuko pairing. And if I don't… well, it's all about Aang anyway! (pushes Katara and Zuko to the edge of the page)

More and more reviewers. I feel so fulfilled. Keep it up! Anything else to say? Oh, yeah: next chapter won't be as interesting as this one, but hopefully it'll be slightly better than the first chapter. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Review if you're nice.


	4. The End

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter III_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Home, sweet home._

Exhausted and considerably scarred, Sokka extended his arms and sighed before heavily dropping onto his soft, welcoming bed. He closed his eyes and smiled, absorbing the gargantuan victory today had brought.

_No more damn Fire Nation._

This concept was still unfamiliar to him, and he let the words' sweet nectar seep slowly in his mouth, warming his tongue and making the day's stressful and brutal events all worth it.

It had been no piece of cake trying to break into the Fire Nation Capital. It had been anything but easy trying to break through the seemingly endless ranks of Fire Nation soldiers and reach Ozai's castle. And when they had tried again and again to enter the Fire Lord's personal domain to no avail, Sokka had thought that their plan had been hopeless since the very beginning. That Gloria had been wrong and had condemned them all.

And then Aang had appeared.

The former South Pole resident had forgotten how powerful his best friend had become. Walking confidently to the castle, the young monk had raised his arms to the skies and like a god, he had gracefully, easily created a fierce tornado that had swept the surrounding Fire Nation guards off their feet, leaving the castle completely vulnerable from the outside. More amazing still, Aang had managed it so that only the firebenders had been brusquely lifted into the air, leaving his own warriors unaffected by his unforgiving winds.

When that had been done, the fourteen-year-old had literally ripped a huge section of the land away all by himself, forming it into a massive ball of earth and hurtling it to the castle's walls. Thinking about this, Sokka let out a small gasp of wonder, replaying the scene all over in his head. How the earth ball had shot from the air to the walls like a bullet… the way Ozai's stonewalls had so quickly crumbled under the avatar's powers. And from then on, it had been as if the deities had already decided who would win the war. From then on, it had been so simple for the Resistance to crush all the other obstacles that had blocked their way, to destroy the castle –the nation- from the inside, to attain Ozai's chambers…

And then it had been all up to Aang.

_The avatar brings hope._

And so it had been true. Ever since the two of them had decided to form an army, many had instantly joined, eager to defeat the Fire Nation once in for all and looking up to Aang, who had so suddenly come back to the world and brought the hope of a peaceful world once more. And when Sokka and his troops' had begun losing faith earlier that day, when they had been futilely trying for so long to infiltrate the castle, Aang had restored all of their spirits the moment he stepped into the scene and obliterated the biggest obstruction in their way. With that, he had made them once again believe that they were invincible. And today, they had been.

Outside, he could hear a storm raging, its brutal winds colliding viciously with the castle. Of course, any chances that the weather could do any serious harm were minimal. Bumi hadn't been stupid; he had made the citadel's walls practically impregnable. Besides, tonight's storm was one of the gentler ones, and the rain was mild, gently falling from the sky and not pelting down to the earth like bullets.

_I wonder what he's doing right now._

Aang was probably as tired as he was now, if not much more. He was most likely in his chambers, resting. The small airbender wouldn't join the others for the celebration, the second-in-command knew, which was rather sad when he remembered all those other times when Aang would've been delighted to just kick back and have fun. _Maybe I can convince him,_ Sokka thought, although even he was rather skeptical of the idea. _Aang needs… to be himself sometimes._

Just then, there was a loud knock on his door.

Groaning, the seventeen-year-old sluggishly heaved himself from his luxurious bed and trudged across his large, darkened room, feeling sleep pressing hard on his eyelids while the velvet carpet beneath his feet felt warm and soft. _Why don't I just fall asleep on the floor,_ a sarcastic voice suggested, and Sokka could have laughed when he found himself seriously considering the option. However, he soon reached the door, and he let out a huge yawn before finding two benders and a former pirate in front of him.

"Hello, Sokka. No time no see," Haru acknowledged him, as always calm and polite.

"Hey, Haru," Sokka greeted back, smiling, if not a little awkwardly. "How's your family and your village?"

"Finally safe, thanks to the avatar."

"That's good…"

"You guys are so self-conscious with each other!" Gloria, who was as relaxed as could be, giggled at their behavior. "I thought you guys were friends!"

Sokka did not want to admit that it had always been Katara who had truly been Haru's friend, and glancing at the earthbender, he wondered if the other boy knew of what her sister had done. Haru serenely met his gaze, and as if they could read each other's minds, they silently agreed not to contradict Gloria.

"Hey, chief," Misaki saluted Sokka with a wave of his hand. "How's it going? Enjoying our victory?"

Smiling broadly, the seventeen-year-old mockingly saluted back before stepping up to his friend and embracing the other.

"Of course I am," Sokka replied when he pulled away. "After all, I have been visualizing this day ever since the avatar and I started forming the Resistance."

"Stop bragging, Sokka."

The second-in-command instantly turned to glare at the one who had made that impudent comment, but when he came face to face with Haru, who was wearing an amused smile on his face, he stopped and stared before Haru let out a small laugh.

"Apparently, the earthbender isn't as polite as we think he is," Misaki said, sniggering, and Gloria feigned a condescending look at the earthbender, which caused Haru to laugh even more.

"So… what's the occasion?" Sokka at last inquired, realizing that the three were all rather dressed up.

Although his hair was arranged in its normal way, Haru was currently wearing a long, forest green robe that had the symbol of earth embroidered on its chest; he also had a simple, gold necklace band adorned his neck. Gloria had arranged her long, blond hair into two neat braids, attired in a sky blue sleeveless dress. Her arms, meanwhile, jingled with multiple silver bracelets, and looking at her more closely, Sokka could swear that the woman was wearing makeup. Finally, Misaki was also wearing traditional Earth Nation clothing, although instead of a robe, the boy was wearing a light verdant top over a forest green shirt; the top, like Haru's robe, had the symbol of earth in gold in the center. He had a pair of baggy apple green pants on, too, and when he raised his hand again, Sokka could see at least a dozen jeweled rings on Misaki's finger.

"You like?" the former pirate asked when he caught Sokka inspecting his hand. "Stole them during the good, old days." At that, a smirk appeared on his thin face.

"Stealing is wrong, Misaki," Sokka reminded him, although his voice was completely monotonous. After all, he had told this to the other so many times that it had lost its meaning.

"But, come on, Sokka," the former pirate laughed, "aren't the rings beautiful? Admit it. You know you want them."

"By the way you're talking, I feel that you'll probably go back to the pirates any day now."

"Of course not… _Dad."_

"Aw…" Gloria sighed, wearing a blithe expression, and before Sokka could stop her, she had both her arms around him and Misaki. "You guys are so cute! You really do remind me of a father and a son…"

"Gloria!" Sokka gasped, indignant and half choking. "I'm barely a year older than him!"

"You're strangling me…" Misaki whispered. "You were planning this, weren't you…?"

Meanwhile, Haru was watching them all, smiling as if this was the best entertainment he had ever had in his life.

"No, think about it," Gloria finally let go of her two victims.

Sokka rubbed his neck with a stricken expression still on his face while Misaki tumbled to the ground. The waterbender glowered at both of them before playfully kicking Misaki on the side on continuing:

"Imagine this. Misaki, a sullen and abandoned pirate who is secretly craving for love and attention, seizes ships and steals treasure in order to try to fill the empty hole in his heart… in vain!"

Sokka, being familiar with Gloria's melodramatic side, rolled his eyes to Haru but went on listening, interested on how this 'story' would end.

"Then one day, he is basked by light when he realizes that the pirate life is not for him. His destiny is… to serve the avatar!"

"Long live the avatar," Haru interjected, grinning.

"Of course," the waterbender sighed, now putting on a sad face. "How can poor, young Misaki be passionate in his new duty when the avatar hides his face and when everyone is suspicious of him because his origins? Now the boy feels even lonelier than ever."

The real Misaki had long gotten up and was presently staring at Gloria with an incredulous and horrified visage.

"Is she talking about me?" he whispered to Sokka. "Because that is _not_ me. Craving for love and attention… empty hole in his heart…. passionate…! The woman's obviously deluded."

"Shut-up and listen," was all the South Pole native told him.

"But one day, Misaki meets Sokka, who is close to the avatar and will be more a leader and a father to him that the avatar ever will be. No offense to the avatar of course," Gloria quickly added. "At first, Misaki is dubious, but with patience, compassion, and love, Sokka frees the child from the terrible, cutting chains that have been restraining him all this time, telling wonderful tales of the avatar and their purpose. And now, Misaki believes!"

"Patience… compassion… love…!" Sokka said slowly, aghast.

"Terrible chains…. wonderful tales…!" Misaki twitched at the words.

"The woman's obviously deluded," both of them at last agreed in unison, only to be hit on the head by an indignant Gloria.

"Wow…" Haru, who hadn't spoken for a while, was actually musing about the story out loud. "An overdramatic aura, the traditional depressed bad guy… the classic corny lines… not bad for a fairy tale. The story can go right besides the legend of the avatar for our future generations."

"No!"

"Anyway," Gloria casually changed the subject, "we're going to Asuka's party. Almost everyone is going."

"Yeah," Misaki said. "Asuka bragged all day long about how she got hold of some liquor off that damn prince's ship."

Sokka blinked at him.

"Okay, first off, isn't there going to be a feast and a party tomorrow? Why have a party today then? Second, you bumped into Prince Zuko? No one told me that… no wonder your reinforcements were late when they _finally_ arrived at Jennoh. And third…" he gave a meaningful stare at Misaki. "Aren't you a little too young for alcohol?"

"Not today," the sixteen-year-old responded cheerfully. "Because today I'll be drinking to the avatar!"

"And you should come with us, Sokka," Haru told him. "We're going to drink a toast to you, too."

"Since you're the second-in-command and all, which you never stopped reminding us," Gloria rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Sokka remembered how weary he was, and as if on cue, his bones began to ache. He yawned.

"Sorry, you guys," he apologetically informed them. "I think I need some rest now."

All of their faces fell.

"Sissy," Misaki muttered.

"_No,_" Gloria elbowed the former pirate in the sides. "We completely understand, Sokka. Unlike us, he was actually part of the actual battle. It was kind of rude of us to ask in the first place. Sorry, Sokka." She smiled in apology.

"It's okay. Tell me all about the party tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing," Haru answered.

And with their last good-byes, the other three turned around and left for the party, leaving Sokka to march back to his bed and lie down. Yes, a part of him did want to be with them, to have fun with everyone else and to fully rejoice today's triumph. But he was so sleepy… The moment he thought that, he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of bed if he wanted to. The last of his energy had seeped away when he had been talking to his friends. _I wonder if this is how Aang feels,_ he wondered, thinking about his best friend… how perhaps the airbender did want to celebrate with everyone else, if only he had had the strength. Yet Sokka did not manage to finish his thought, because a second later, he was asleep.

----- ----- -----

The next day, the seventeen-year-old awoke to the sound of knocking. The boy, mumbling, turned over and slowly opened his eyes, still significantly tired from yesterday's battle. Meanwhile, the knocking persisted.

_Who could that be?_ Sokka sighed and got up, and that was when he realized that he was still wearing his soiled clothes from yesterday. And judging by the subtle stench in the air, he could guess that he hadn't taken a shower either. _Ew._ For a moment, he thought about just ignoring the person at his door and cleaning himself up. Yet that wouldn't be very courteous, would it? Besides, today was supposed to be a good day –the first day without the Fire Nation on people's back. He shouldn't ruin it for someone else by ignoring them. With that reason in mind, Sokka began making his way to the door, hoping that whoever was outside his room would be ready for what he would see. _A very, very dirty second-in-command._

The knocker turned out to be the exact opposite of Sokka.

First off, his neat, if not slightly overlarge, clothes were clean and in a perfect condition, which made the teenager feel as disheveled as ever. Second, most unlike his own tall frame, the newcomer was rather short, and standing there face-to-face, the two appeared to be like the midget and the giant. And last, but not least, the guy was bald while Sokka still had a small ponytail, and by now, the older adolescent almost regretted opening the door.

"Aang!" he exclaimed, not knowing whether to be grateful for his friend's arrival or horror-struck at how filthy he presently was in front of the avatar.

"Hello, Sokka," the airbender said calmly, and when he peered more closely at Sokka's face, a small, amused grin appeared on his own visage. "I see you still haven't cleaned up."

"I… um…"

"I hope I didn't wake you up, although I did wait for quite a while."

"No, it's okay," Sokka instantaneously assured him. "I mean, I was asleep but I did sleep for quite a while… hey! What time is it anyway?"

"One o'clock in the afternoon," Aang answered, chuckling. "You always were able to sleep for hours to end."

Sokka produced a meek laugh. He had noticed that Aang had laughed just now, if only a little. Still, he couldn't remember the last time the young monk had managed more than a small smile. The older one was glad that even Aang's spirits were uplifted by their grand victory, and maybe… just maybe… he would attend the feast today. If… Sokka instantly remembered how long he had slept… they hadn't already missed it.

"When did _you_ wake up, Mister Prompt-and-Perfect?" the second-in-command then challenged, pretending to be offended.

"Eleven o'clock."

"I bet you could have woken up earlier."

"Trust me, Sokka, I probably couldn't," Aang retorted, still smiling. "Bending… takes a lot of hard work. Not that you would know that," he added mockingly.

"I have my boomerang. I have all that I need."

"I'm glad that everyone's so happy," the fourteen-year-old unexpectedly became quieter, looking into the distance. "But our work isn't done yet, you know that, right?"

"Oh, yeah…" Sokka sighed. "The Fire Nation. And the prisoners."

"They're scattered everywhere, aren't they?" Aang asked him. "Many are in Ozai's former castle, some are on Zuko's ship, some are on _our_ ships… and you can't imagine how full our castle is of captured Fire Nation generals and soldiers. Plus… there's Ozai himself." The avatar's eyes darkened.

Sokka stared at him, astonished. Ozai… he was still here… he was still alive? The boy abruptly felt a little fearful.

"He's here, Sokka," the airbender continued. "And I'm going to have… a little talk with him right after this."

"Don't you want to wait until tomorrow at least?"

Yet Aang shook his head.

"Every minute he's in this castle, alive and healthy enough to conspire, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what he's capable of, of what every minute I'm giving him can do for him… and I'm afraid for everyone in the castle, who thinks that everything is over."

"I understand."

Sokka shuddered as he pictured the horrid possibility in his mind; the Fire Lord somehow managing to break free of his cell and slowly destroying the castle, getting rid of everyone in his way while elsewhere, people were carefree, unaware that Ozai was still there, in full power and lurking in the very center of the avatar's headquarters. _Not good at all._ If that happened, the war would still be raging, and any reason for the Resistance to celebrate would immediately fade away.

"I'm going to see him now, Sokka," Aang finally stated, and his earlier playful attitude had long vanished.

"Do you want me to come?" the seventeen-year-old queried, also presently solemn.

Aang shook his head again.

"No," he told him, "you just enjoy the day. I'm sure I can handle everything by myself."

Sokka sighed. Although he truly wanted to insist on accompanying Aang to Ozai's prison cell, he knew that once the monk made up his mind, he would be closed to all other options. It wouldn't matter much anyway, he tried to convince himself. After all, his best friend was the all-powerful avatar. He could deal with anything.

"Okay then," he told the airbender. "If you really want to. And by the way," he suddenly said as Aang began walking away, and the airbender turned to him once more, "what do you plan to do with the prisoners?"

The younger boy stopped in his tracks. A moment of silence passed between them before Aang locked his cold gray eyes with Sokka's and answered:

"Kill them. Kill them all."

The older one paled.

"I'm just kidding," Aang chuckled at his dismayed expression. "We'll discuss about that later. Really, Sokka, you should have seen your face. Hilarious."

And the avatar's quiet laughter echoed everywhere in the hall as he walked away, leaving Sokka dumbfounded and not knowing exactly what to feel towards his friend. _He's still the weird kid I knew two years ago after all._

----- ----- -----

The prisoner's chamber was as ominous as ever, sinister and calm in its aura. Blazing with an intense red, the candles' flames were restless and excited, as if even they knew what was to happen. After all, the two most powerful beings were in the room, and who knew what would happen. However, the largest one was presently bound by a chair in chains and tight, fireproof rope, preventing any means of escape. The chair itself was of cold, cutting steel, even ornamented by deadly spikes that would stab contemptuously at the mere wrong move of the captive. His chest was bare, wounded, while his pants were bloodied and torn. And the prisoner's proud crown had fallen to the cold, hard floor, the final touch that made the former superior Fire Lord look vulnerable and shameful.

In front of him, the avatar gazed at him with calm, indifferent eyes.

"You will never repent, will you."

The child uttered those words as if it was a statement, not a question. Ozai slowly raised his head and looked defiantly at him, his hard, black eyes filled with bottomless hatred. His look was enough to answer the query.

"Are you that selfish?" Aang continued, beginning to pace leisurely around his prisoner. "Why do you want to control the world? What does it have that's so precious? Why hurt people… for so little of a reward?"

The Fire Lord said nothing, didn't even bother to look at his warden. His visage remained the same, ugly and filled with loathing.

"Control. Is that what you wanted all along?" the airbender inquired lazily. "Just because you have control of the outside, it doesn't mean you have control inside. And eventually…" the gray eyes hardened, "you won't even have any control at all."

Ozai clenched his fists, and the young monk's eyes were sharp enough to detect this threatening movement.

"No more taunts, no more words… is that what you want?" the avatar asked him quietly. "I'll stop then."

He was now right in front of his prisoner, frowning slightly as he gazed at him. Then he extended an arm, and just as soon, his hand was filled with fire, which burned and twisted angrily in his control.

"They say," the fourteen-year-old began coolly, "that the only way to defeat your enemy is to fight fire with fire. I guess I'll listen to what they say."

His hand became a fist and he raised it, prepared to strike. And when it came down, a piercing, agonized scream erupted from the chamber, because the avatar's blow had been ten times as hard as the one the Fire Lord had given to his own son four years ago. And it had been fatal, too.

----- ----- -----

_The skies above were enraged and crimson, its hue becoming darker and more agitated by the moment. The white clouds had long disappeared, only to be replaced by dark gray condensed smoke that seemed to dominate the air, contaminating it and suffocating the small, defenseless child below. It was so hot and humid, the boy thought, attempting to bear his uncomfortable surroundings. And he felt a dread and pain inside that he had never felt before._

_All of a sudden, he heard a clamorous explosion, and before he had a chance to react, he was trapped in a circle of fierce fire. Its hot, menacing flames reached out to him, searching to burn through his skin, and the child stepped back, more afraid than ever. Because he knew something was coming._

_And gradually, he saw an enormous shadow creeping towards him, miraculously breaking through the tall, crackling fire, and a loud, contemptuous laughter could soon be heard. The boy was frozen, staring in horror at the shadow that he knew –somehow he was certain of it- would be his executor. It was coming closer, its sick joy seemingly emanating everywhere around him and squeezing the life out of the child. He fell to his knees and covered his head, cowering because there was nothing he could do. He felt so weak and helpless._

_It was then when he unexpectedly knew what the shadow was. Yet it didn't make sense, because he had dispelled this enemy, hadn't he? Hadn't he… gotten rid of this vile ghoul? But somehow the monster had risen from its grave, and the boy trembled in terror, his gray eyes wide and frightened._

_He should have been able to move. He should have been able to react when the shadow almost gently put its solid hands around his neck. And when its twisted, cold hands began slowly closing in, he should have been able to scream. But he was frozen, just like the small part of his soul that had receded away to the dark so long ago. _

_The monster was smiling, and somewhere outside someone began to speak. Its voice, Aang mused, closing his eyes as his murderer's grip became excruciatingly tighter, its voice was somehow familiar…_

_"I know what I'm doing."_

_"It's okay, Aang…"_

_"I'm still the same person I was before, can't you see?"_

"But you're not," _a childish voice inside his head murmured, but even the boy couldn't hear it now. All he could hear was the terrible laughter, which came back even louder and more derisive. _

_He was dying… so slowly, so painfully, feeling his spirit freely flowing from his parted lips, and the shadow's cackle appeared to be talking to him, whispering about his foolishness. Because he should have never thought that he had destroyed it completely. He should have never assumed that everything would finally be all right. He should have never hoped… that he would one day gain control…_

_Through his squinted eyes, the boy saw the ghoul raise an arm, and a horrified gasp escaped when he saw its hand on fire, preparing to finish him once in for all. Because being strangled to death would have been too good for the avatar, wouldn't it? Because only physical agony could cure the aching deep inside…_

_And he exploded in a shattering, bloodcurdling scream as he felt his face been inflamed by the enemy's savage fire, which mercilessly ate through his skin, through his muscle, through his skull…_

----- ----- -----

Aang sprang up from his bed, shaken. His breath came in uneven, ragged gasps, and he felt his face burning, as if it really had been touched by his nightmare's cruel inferno. Everything around him was dark, hidden by shadows that seemed to be dancing in a sluggish, hypnotic rhythm, and in his mind, they were warning him, reminding him that they could emerge from their own dark world and take over him at any time. And he shuddered, cradling his scrawny arms.

He soon discovered that he had been crying. His tears had stained his pale visage while a few had even dropped to his bed sheet. _Pathetic._

His dream. Its memory was quickly fading away from his mind, making him forget what had happened… what had made him so afraid. But the cold, gripping feeling of terror and fear did not go away, and the most frustrating thing was that he didn't know why he was being smothered by this nauseating sensation. He had just gotten rid of the Fire Lord. Tonight should have been the most peaceful night of his life. But in his full a hundred and fourteen years of living, the airbender knew that there had been so many 'should-have-been's' in his life.

He sighed, frowning, and rested his head on the soft pillow once more. It had only been a trivial nightmare, after all. His goal in life had at last been fulfilled, and now, like he had so feverishly hoped for ever since the day he had awakened from the iceberg, he was free. _Everything,_ he thought, closing his eyes…

_Everything will be all right._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N: **Ladies and gentlemen… my story has ended. That's right. (Everyone gasps… or not.) Okay, okay; the title was a bluff, although it _does_ fit quite nicely with this chapter. I didn't put it on just to fool you guys, for your information. Did I scare you? Probably not (laughs). Don't worry. Hardened Winds is not even halfway done. It's definitely going to be more than ten chapters, although it's going to be less than twenty chapters. If I manage to finish this (with the proper encouragement, of course…), this is going to be my longest story ever! Hourrah! Going on…

I hope this chapter didn't bore you. It doesn't really fit the angst that I'm focusing on, but look at Chapter 3 as a comedy break, okay? It was rather fun to write, too. Also, please tell me if the first dialogue (between Sokka, Gloria, Misaki, and Haru) bored you. As mentioned earlier, I sometimes tend to write way too long dialogues, and if you feel that the first part of this chapter was too much, please _kindly_ inform me. Thank-you.

Next chapter… will be interesting, at least. Really not much to say about that, but stay tuned anyway, okay? Now I shall thank my loyal reviews of the last chapter:

Jaqq: Thank-you for your great comments and I'm glad the last chapter satisfied you! Here's Chapter 3 and any constructive criticism will be welcome! More will happen to Zuko, too; I promise.

aangsair: Gracias, gracias… and you must wait for the pairings, I'm sorry to say. (dodges tomatoes) Yeah… I prefer to keep it… a mystery… (cackles evilly)

Ryuusui: Picking good names for OCs are hard, you have a point there. I have a book of names to help me, though. But the names Misaki and Gloria just came to me. I guess I'm lucky… this time. And you make a great point concerning the war. It's not as if I don't have a reason for ending it so soon (as the story progresses, you'll probably figure it out, but if you don't, you can always ask again), but it made me think…. did the ending of the war seemed too hurried in Chapter 2? Hopefully not.

Plus, there will be more on Zuko, I promise. Everyone loves Zuko for some reason… It's not as if I don't like him, but Aang is just so much more interesting. Who wouldn't love a twelve-year-old monk with arrows all over? (fawns over avatar) Because of you, expect to see more Zuko later on in my story!

Blackrosebunny: Continue writing, Megan. And next time you review… please comment on my story, okay? Constructive criticism is what I'm aiming for.

Saucy Noodles: I'm happy you liked the fluff (no matter how small it was), and the tee shirt you have sounds cute. And I don't think you need to add more to your second chapter of The End Never Changes. For me, what you have already is enough. Hope to hear from you for this chapter!

Next chapter will be posted on Friday/Saturday the earliest and next Wednesday the latest. After the fourth chapter, we'll go to the second, more important part of the story. And then the third… and then the fourth. Not that the 'parts' are official or anything…

Review if you're nice.


	5. Capture

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter IV_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was a starless night.

Not even the moon shone, for tonight it too was concealed by the dark. A storm had just passed, although one wouldn't have known merely from the serene atmosphere. After all, the waters were calm now, and the air was fresh and cool. Yet in the small, lonely boat drifting in the murky sea, two people would have known, because they were soaked to the bone from simply trying to endure the preceding bad weather. But it wasn't just the earlier storm that had dampened their moods. It was also the black, stifling feeling that had so quickly overcome them, ever since the news had spread that the avatar had at last conquered the Fire Nation

The prince sat, silent and disconsolate, his knees huddled to his chest, while Katara stared listlessly at the infinite ebony sky, trying to no avail to forget about the hopeless, empty feeling inside her. Even the numbing cold from the rain could not penetrate through their poignant feelings, because now that the Fire Lord had fallen, the two adolescents had no real goal. They couldn't defend the Fire Nation from the shadows anymore… they couldn't do anything.

"Zuko, are you all right?" the girl murmured after a long while, when the heavy silence became finally too much for her to bear.

"No."

The single word came out, harsh, cold, and bleak. Katara sighed and looked at him. She almost didn't recognize the firebender in front of her, because the prince she had known and loved had always been on his feet, ready to fight and looking for any opportunity to redeem himself. Yet the person who was presently sitting like a stone was half covered by the night's black cloak, his shoulders hunched, as if proclaiming that they had given up on the world. Meanwhile, his flaming spirit was for once subdued to a struggling flare that was threatened to being blown out any moment.

"We can still do something," Katara told him gently, and she tried with all her might to sound encouraging, although she herself was also unsure about their future.

"Katara," Zuko sighed, still not bothering to turn to her. "The empire that my family has worked so hard to create is now gone, annihilated. The Fire Lord's powerful army has finally been defeated, and my father… he's probably dead now. There's no way –no way at all- that we can ever restore the Fire Nation to its former glory."

"No…" the girl reluctantly concurred, yet she did not avert her meaningful gaze from him, "but we can still do _something_. The most important thing we can do now is to free your uncle and the rest of the crew. We owe them at least that much, right? And then, with your wise uncle and at least a few people behind us, I'm sure…" she smiled slightly, "we'll be able to come up with a plan."

The eighteen-year-old remained quiet, and Katara was afraid that her earnest words did not reach him at all. However, she grinned when he soon slowly turned to her, and although his face was still dejected and shaken, there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes that had not been there before.

"Yes, you're right," the prince stated, his voice steady. "We have to free the crew first. I should have thought about that. I shouldn't…" he looked down, scowling, "… I shouldn't have abandoned them in the first place. I'm a coward."

Katara walked to him and sat besides him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, and she was astonished (and a little worried) when she realized that Zuko was shaking slightly.

"No, it's okay," she soothed him. "You couldn't think, and it was natural. I mean, what else can you be but in shock after you hear that your father –the nearly invincible Fire Lord- has been defeated? I couldn't think either, and I'm sure your uncle and the rest will forgive you, especially after we save them."

"There's still no excuse," Zuko said quietly, but Katara was pleased to hear that his miserable tone had been significantly subdued. "We'll have to save them, you're right but… we have no idea where our ship was taken to."

A small wave slid beneath the boat, gently swaying it and somehow managing to appease the waterbender's spirit. Absentmindedly, she drew the tame wave back, smiling as it rocked their boat again while her mind searched for an answer to the prince's question. It didn't take too long before she turned to him with a definite reply:

"The avatar lives in the castle of Omashu, right? He must also have a harbor for all his warships near his home. I think your ship is probably at the port of the coast village of Kali, which is only a few miles away from Omashu and… yes! I remember!" Katara snapped her fingers, beaming. "We passed Kali a year ago, remember? I could've sworn I saw a few ships with the avatar's crest at its harbor!"

The sixteen-year-old knew that Zuko was presently smiling.

"I'm glad I managed to get you into the ship with me," he then whispered, so quietly that the waterbender knew that the prince wasn't sure whether he actually wanted her to hear this or not. "I probably wouldn't have been able to handle all this… on my own."

"You're welcome then," Katara laughed, giving him a hug.

"The village of Kali is rather far away from where we are," Zuko started, and his tone was now almost even business-like; the girl knew that he was starting to be himself again, beginning to plan their next move carefully. "I'm sure, though, that with your waterbending and my good sense of direction (Kali is just south of us, I'm sure), we can get there in a day or two. The boat has some provisions and some water, so I think we can manage. And once we free the crew…" he stopped, his uncertainty apparently returning.

"Everything will fall back in place again," the waterbender finished confidently for him, and once again, the firebender smiled.

"Yes, it will. Now I think we need some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

----- ----- -----

Katara decided that she liked the pleasant village of Kali.

Short, stocky buildings made of wood and stone aligned its parallel, amiable roads, which were filled with bustling, chatting people, simple, hurrying carriages, and a wide variety of shop stands. Everywhere she turned, she saw eager merchants displaying their best treasures at the most reasonable prices (or at least, according to them), wizened ladies attempting to sell their diversified collection of memorabilia, tanned, strong men advertising their catch of the day, and even small children trying their luck at business, showing passing pedestrians everything from miracle medicines to tarot cards.

The fresh, pungent fragrance of the sea tickled the sixteen-year-old's nose while the carefree giggles, the booming shouts, and the genial babble all around her made her smile. Kali's colors were of a modest reddish hue, from light brown to soft pink, making the rural community look as welcoming and youthful as it could be. If Katara hadn't been on an important mission, she would've gladly sauntered through the village's streets, looking for good deals and the most extravagant merchandise.

"The place is too loud," Zuko said sullenly besides her, and the girl stifled a giggle as she caught him scanning his surroundings with obvious distaste.

Their boat had long been safely secured to the harbor, and now the two were walking along the coast, trying to catch a glimpse of any captured Fire Nation ships, yet so far, their attempt had been futile. To her disappointment, Katara couldn't even find a vessel belonging to the avatar, and she dearly hoped that their long journey to the coast village hadn't been a complete waste of time. Glancing at the prince, she knew that he was thinking the same thing as his expression became more and more frustrated and impatient.

"Maybe… we should ask someone?" she at last inquired, but Zuko shook his head.

"We don't need anybody to tell us," he replied curtly. "We should be perfectly able to find the ships by ourselves. And if we don't find it, it's obvious that Uncle and the crew aren't being held captive here."

"Yeah," Katara muttered reluctantly; the older adolescent did have a point. Ships were rather easy to spot, and although she hated to admit it, chances were becoming more likely that their vessel just wasn't at this port. Still… as she had asked Sokka (she felt a painful twinge tug at her heart) two years back… what was it with men and asking for directions?

They investigated the harbor for what seemed like hours, walking from end to end and inspecting it from every angle, as if the open, public place could somehow hide a big ship from their unsuspecting eyes. In the end, the results were far from uplifting.

"Our ship isn't here, Katara," Zuko concluded, and Katara felt a pang when she heard the note of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, you're probably right," the waterbender sighed.

Her eyes then fell to a middle-aged, raven-haired man who was currently working on his own boat at the dock. Despite what the prince had told her, she abruptly decided to try their last resort.

"Katara! What are you doing?" the boy bellowed after her as she suddenly ran to the small, wooden boat, and she smiled when the stranger finally caught sight of her, raising his eyebrows. He was evidently surprised.

"Hello," she greeted the man as cordially as she could, "my friend and I," she gestured to Zuko, who had suddenly appeared besides her and was now giving her the evil eye, "wanted to see the warships of the great avatar, as well as the Fire Nation ships that our savior has so courageously captured. We heard that they were at your village's harbor, but we didn't see anything. We were just wondering… are the ships somewhere else here… or are they not here at all?"

Katara waited for the stranger's reply, but she paled when she discovered that the man was currently not looking at her, but at Zuko, and she could have hit herself when she realized her mistake.

"He's from the Fire Nation," the stranger slowly said, glaring at the prince and his crimson armor, which –to the girl- now seemed to stand out like a flying bison in the serene village of Kali.

Zuko opened his mouth to reply, a spiteful insult at the tip of his tongue, when Katara violently stepped on his foot and hastily told the man:

"No, no, you've got it all wrong," she tried to laugh as naturally as possible, as if his (correct) assumption was a mistake that she had dealt with many times before. "I mean, _yes,_ my friend… _Kai…_ is from the Fire Nation, but you see, he's a _double agent._ Like me, he really works for the avatar, and he contributed a lot to our recent victory against the blasted Fire Nation." Katara could've sighed in relief when the stranger's expression soon changed from suspicion to confusion, although his eyes were still filled with mistrust.

"He seems a little too… angry… to be among the avatar's forces," the stranger, who had leaped off his boat, stated, frowning at Zuko.

The waterbender briefly looked at the boy, and she then realized that his face was half twisted in fury towards the man and pain at what Katara had done to him.

"He's just… a little irritated!" the girl laughed, waving her hand at the prince. "He hates it when people just assume he's with the Fire Nation just because of his background. He's really good inside, you know."

For a long time, the man remained hesitant, yet after a while, he smiled wearily at Katara.

"Normally, I wouldn't trust him," he momentarily scowled at Zuko, who gladly returned the favor, "but since he's with such a nice girl like you, I guess he can't be all that bad, can he?" the stranger laughed, and Katara smiled, eagerly waiting for the man to return to their previous topic, which he soon did:

"Okay then. You were right when you said that the avatar's ships and the Fire Nation ships he captured are at this harbor… or at least _near_ this harbor. Because as you obviously know by now, the avatar isn't stupid enough to just keep his ships in plain view. Look to your right," he gestured, and the waterbender obediently turned her attention to the right side of the coast, although she still couldn't see anything.

"Yeah, it's hard, isn't it?" the ebony-haired sailor grinned. "You see, that big cliff," he pointed at the intimidating rock structure that had, so far, not being noticed by the two teenagers, "hides another, smaller harbor that is the avatar's. Step forward, girl, and you can see a small part of the sail, and if you're lucky, you can see the avatar's crest."

Blinking, Katara did as she was told and squinted, trying to see any signs of what they were looking for, and at first, she still couldn't see anything. After all, the cliff was high and sharp, and it didn't look as if there was anything behind it. Finally, though, the girl saw a glimpse of the familiar black sail with the avatar's white crest, the same that had adorned Misaki's ship.

"There!" she exclaimed, pointing, and a second later, she knew that Zuko had seen the ship, too, because he let out a shout of surprise and joy. "Thank-you!" the waterbender then turned to the stranger, beaming, but before he had the time to react, she had grabbed the prince's hand and had managed to pull them away from the man and to a much more private location.

Katara quickly looked around; the two were huddled near one of the smaller buildings in the village, and she was glad when she noticed that not many people came by, and when an occasional pedestrian did pass them, it was without a single glance. _This must be one of the less crowded streets,_ she noted to herself with satisfaction.

"You were right," Zuko, looking a little too astounded for Katara's liking, whispered. "If the avatar's ships are here, so are uncle and the crew."

"Was there ever a doubt?"

For a moment, the firebender appeared to consider whether telling her the truth, but in the end, he just managed a small grin before shaking his head.

"Now that we have our ship in sight," the prince began, looking once more determined, "we'll have to break in and set my men free."

"Of course," the girl said, nodding.

"And I finally know what I'm going to do next, Katara. Because after we have uncle and the rest, we're sneak into the avatar's castle as well."

"_What?"_ Dumbfounded and confused, the waterbender stared at him. "What for?"

Zuko bit his lip, obviously debating within himself whether to tell her or not, but a minute later, he sighed and almost reluctantly answered:

"Katara, I'm almost absolutely sure that the avatar killed my father. So now… the most honorable thing to do is to avenge his death. And that is by killing the avatar."

The sixteen-year-old goggled at him. _Aang._ In her head, she could still see his childish grin, and she knew instantly that she did not want to see his death, no matter what side she was on. But… Zuko's mouth was set on a grim, resolute line… and she knew that no matter how much she protested, the older one would turn a deaf ear. Besides, a cold, rational voice said, why should she hold on so much to the past? The young monk… her older brother… she had long pushed them to the darkest depths of her mind, and she knew Zuko would be appalled if he even heard her speak in their enemy's favor.

However, deep down, Katara knew why she wouldn't stand the death of the avatar. And that was because she couldn't stand any kind of death, especially if it was that of a friend… or a former friend. _I was never a fighter._ She was –and had always been- a pacifist, a thinker… and the thinker in her was now strongly advising her not to contradict Zuko, at least not until she knew how far the boy would truly go. After all, even the Fire Nation prince wasn't that cold-hearted. At least she hoped. Instead, Katara came up with a plan.

She tentatively tugged the firebender's sleeve, and startled, he glanced at her.

"What is it?"

"All right," she began quietly, "you're going to break into our ship. But I won't be going with you."

"… Okay then."

"No. That's not it. I'm not going… because I'm going to do something else. You really do want to finish off the avatar, right?" the waterbender steadily let the query slip from her lips like a statement, although in reality, it was the most important question she had ever asked, and she felt her heart sink when Zuko nodded. "Well, then, you'll need to know the inside of the castle of Omashu, won't you? And I'm sorry to say that although I went in before, it's being too long for me to still remember how it is inside."

"What are you saying?"

"Zuko. I'm going to sneak into the avatar's headquarters and find the safest, fastest way to the avatar. So you won't get yourself killed by trying the first time." Katara's heart was beating wildly as she finished her statement, but she nevertheless smirked at her last words. And the smile only widened when Zuko took the bait, scowling at her.

"I guess that _would_ be a good idea…" the boy slowly said after a while, "but it's not safe if you go alone, Katara."

"I can protect myself just fine, Zuko," the girl told him confidently.

"And what if you get captured?"

"I'll escape."

"And if you don't? If you don't, I'll have to get you, and that'll just be a waste of time…"

"Don't you _ever_ have the tiniest faith in me?" Katara crossed her arms and gave him a sullen look. Soon, though, her warm, assuring tone came back as she reasoned with him: "I'll be as careful as I can. Besides, now that the war is over, the security there won't be as strong. And I'm just going to get in, find the avatar's room, and go straight back to the harbor. Nothing wrong will happen, okay?"

Her soothing voice seemed to calm the prince, because he merely frowned when she was done, apparently deep in thought. After a moment, he sighed and gave in.

"If you're sure, Katara, then I guess I can't stop you. Just make the most of your time," he informed her briskly, but quickly, his business-like tone melted away as he whispered to her: "Be careful, too."

"I will," she promised, kissing him lightly. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

----- ----- -----

A few hours later, the waterbender was right outside the castle of Omashu, breathing deeply as she kept her eyes on the two guards at the door.

_Walking sucks,_ she thought, sighing and reminiscing at how agonizing it had been to hike the entire way here. _Ships and flying bison are so much more convenient._ Unfortunately, her ship was currently being held in the avatar's control, and she hadn't seen the sole flying bison alive for all too long. While Katara let her heart go back to its normal, steady pace, she looked up and inspected the gargantuan castle that had transformed into the last airbender's new home. She had forgotten how immense and grand it had been, and now besides the majestic structure, she let out a small gasp of wonder. True, she mused, the castle was entirely made of rocky earth, and it wasn't as smooth and regal as most castles were. Yet it loomed tall and proud, and it _had_ been home to the greatest earthbender not long before. Although the King of Omashu had long gone, his powerful aura still lingered within the castle, and the sixteen-year-old shuddered, afraid at how Aang's old friend would react if he knew what she had done.

The structure hadn't remained entirely the same, though; the avatar had recently constructed tall walls around the citadel, evidently to serve as an extra barrier to intruders like her. However, she had managed to conquer the obstacle by slipping inside a large carriage that had been permitted to enter through the gates, and she had also been able to get out of the vehicle unnoticed. The task hadn't been as simple as it sounded, but with constant caution, it had been almost easily done. Now, she decided, was time to spring into action; actually getting _inside_ the Omashu Caste might be a little harder than what she had just did.

For the guards at the door, her tactic was simple yet risky. Moving as naturally as possible, she walked leisurely to the two, burly men, and gazing at the long, sharp spears that they were gripping, the girl could safely conclude that they could not earthbend. She had been right; now that the Fire Lord had evidently fallen, the avatar's security measures had significantly loosened.

"Hello," she smiled brightly at the guards, and they raised her eyebrows at her, obviously astonished by her presence.

Still grinning, Katara knew she had to act fast, and she closed her eyes for a second, concentrating as much as she could, before she slowly raised her arms. She felt the cork of the water bottle on her hip unscrewing itself, and inside, the water bubbled excitedly, as if anticipating what she would do next.

"What are you doing?" one of the guards barked at her as a long stream of water slowly rose from her bottle, only to divide itself into two smaller streams.

"I'm just entertaining you with some magic," the adolescent replied lazily, and when she was certain that the two men's attention were completely focused on her waterbending, she smirked before performing a hard double water whip, which struck the guards' faces and temporarily blinded them.

The men swore loudly, but Katara was already a step ahead. She had seen the set of keys dangling from their belts a few minutes before, and now she took the fleeting opportunity to snatch them away. One of the sentries was already beginning to regain his senses, and now beginning to feel panic rise, the girl reached for the biggest key in the chain and violently inserted it into the keyhole of the heavy, bronze door. She let out a cry of joy when she heard a click before opening the door with all her might. She couldn't have done it sooner, because just then, the guard to her right attempted to strike, only for the door to hit him right in the face.

Katara let herself look to her left, and a stricken expression came to her face when she immediately saw the other man's enraged face. Good thing she had already stepped inside the castle, because when she forcefully swung the door back, she heard the sentry gasp as he, too, appeared to have collided with the door.

Sighing in relief, the teenager scurried away, and soon, she was met with two diverging corridors. Randomly picking the right one, Katara let herself relax and placed a hand on her racing heart. _That wasn't too hard,_ she thought, even smiling a little. _Now all I have to find is the stairs._ She kept her guard up and made sure she was ready to waterbend at any occasion, but when she failed to encounter any other obstruction for a long time, the eerie silence of the castle was becoming unnerving.

_And to think,_ she pondered, crossing from one hallway to the next, _Sokka and Aang are right here in this place. _She thought of the possibility of bumping into them, and she felt goose bumps prickle her skin. No, she decided, meeting them would be the worst thing that could happen, and that was why she could not fail this task.

Sadly, after a while switching halls (at one occasion she could've sworn she had already passed one of the corridors), Katara learned to her dismay that she had almost no idea where she was. She had forgotten how huge the building was, and now… her insides froze as the horrid thought crossed her mind… could she even find her way _out?_ She refused to think about the frightening concept any more, though, but instead she felt more determined than ever as she quickened her pace, resolute to find the avatar's chambers before someone found her.

Perhaps she had been walking a little too rapidly, a little too loudly, because too late she heard another pair of footsteps that seemed to have come from nowhere. Abruptly, the girl stopped, shaken. But the stranger's footsteps continued and scarier still, Katara still had no idea where they were coming from. Her unknown enemy could spring on her from any direction! She forced herself to close her eyes, and finally she realized that the footsteps appeared to be from right besides her. _Maybe_, the waterbender attempted to comfort herself, _maybe the person isn't even looking for me. Maybe he's only in a parallel hallway and the only reason his footsteps seem so close is because he's in a hall right besides me. He probably doesn't know I'm here. Hopefully. _

Yet why… were the footsteps becoming louder and louder by the moment? After all, the sixteen-year-old had stopped walking, and if the stranger was truly in a corridor parallel to hers, wouldn't his footsteps become quieter, not louder? Her heart began to beat faster and faster, and she let a stream of water rise from her bottle and prepared a water whip.

She then continued walking, hoping to keep her past pace while making sure her footsteps were quieter than before. She was shaking and biting her lip anxiously. Meanwhile, her heart was threatening to jump from her chest. The waterbender had only taken a few steps before all of a sudden, something terribly hard hit her head, and a yell of pain parted from Katara's lips before she was knocked down, the water from her whip splashing dulling onto the floor. The sound made a raucous sound that echoed off the walls, and the girl was sure that everyone in the castle was now aware that she was here.

Not that it would have been really made a difference, because a second later, she saw a shadow move swiftly to her, only to pin her mercilessly to the cold, uncomfortable floor. Trembling, she looked up to her captor; it was a tall, slim woman with skin as pale as a ghost's, and she was attired completely in black. With a jolt, Katara discovered that it was the same warrior who had tried to stab her back at the ship, but this time, she took time to take in the woman's hollow face and the raven black hair that was loosely collected in an unkempt bun. Besides her, she saw a knife and realized that she had been hit by its hard, wooden hilt.

"The traitor waterbender is back, I see," her capturer hissed, her eyes narrowed. "And I doubt you'll be spared this time."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** Two chapters in a week. And a cliffhanger, too. You guys should be ever-so-thankful to the mighty author (me). I'm joking, of course. (everyone stops glaring) I hope you readers liked this chapter, and I just figured out that there are a few things in Chapter 4 that don't make much sense. If you catch it, please inform me, but if you don't, that tells me that the mistakes I caught aren't a big problem and therefore does not require too much attention. But still… I'm going to insert an explanation for the (biggest) unknown problem in a later chapter.

I would like to thank:

Ryuusui: Oh… so you don't 'love' Zuko? Sorry about that misunderstanding. Though why is it that most people only care about Zuko's problems and don't even bother to see the depth in the avatar's soul? Of course, I'm not saying _you_ are one of those aforementioned people (meek laugh), and thank-you for your endless support. I really appreciate it!

Saucy Noodles: Chapter 3 added more intenseness to my story? Yay! I can't wait for Chapter 3 for your fanfiction, and I'm glad I have such an enthusiastic reader!

Rebel Thief Lava Wolf Cooper: You like my dialogue…? (blurry eyes) Thank-you so much! Of course, I do have flaws somewhere in Hardened Winds, which will sadly only be apparent to me a year later… (sigh) 

MysticWaterBender3: I _am_ the best writer in the world, aren't I? (has a smug look and kicks Rowling aside) Just bluffing, of course. I know I still have a long way to go in the journey of being a writer. I love Aang's new personality, too, by the way (hugs Aang), and you being so happy about my story makes me happy. So the chain of joy continues!

_Fran_: (punches Ozai in the face) He's definitely gone, and don't worry; no cliché with him coming back as a ghost! Go Aang!

aangsair: Poor Aang. He hasn't been acting like himself for a long time, and now I doubt that his happy-go-lucky twelve-year-old self is really him. The fanfiction is all about how his new personality, after all. Katara is mean, too, I agree. Still… (gently pries aangsair's death grip off the waterbender)… I need her for my story. Or else I doubt Aang will become a dynamic character. (sweatdrops)

Next chapter will be posted next Tuesday/Wednesday or Friday. Or wherever I feel like it.

Review if you're nice.


	6. Family Reunion

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter V_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_The Fire Nation temple was completely deserted._

_He immediately recognized it as the one he had gone to years ago to speak to Avatar Roku. And in front of him, gazing at him solemnly, was the statue of the former avatar himself. The boy stared at the figure, not knowing why he was here. _

_All of a sudden, stone came to life as Roku abruptly swept down to him, and the child gasped when he realized that the elder was wearing a furious expression._

_"You _failed!_" Roku bellowed, and fire erupted in his eyes. "Why did you fail me?"_

_The current avatar clutched his arms and looked pleadingly at the man. _

_"I'm sorry," he murmured, trembling, "I tried my best, Roku, I really did… but something happened, and I-… and I-…"_

_"The avatar," Roku interrupted him quietly, glowering at the boy, "does not fail. No matter what. Because the avatar… does not let trivial things get to him. The avatar…. retains control. No matter what."_

_Looking down, the child squeezed his eyes shut and let the former avatar's words sink in. _The avatar does not fail. _It was true. Then… why… why did he let those stupid things restrain him before? A crack unexpectedly resounded in the room, and he knew that it was his heart breaking. The narrow, cold agony seized him viciously, but somehow… this time… he had been anticipating it. And this time, he refused to cry._

_"You can't fail, Aang," Roku told him, his voice cool and harsh. "You won't fail. Because if you fail again…"_

_The boy fell to his knees, breathing heavily and letting the pain numb his whole body; he wouldn't fail, he wouldn't let anything else get in the way of his duty. The avatar opened his mouth to assure Roku of this, but instead (he hated himself for this), a childish question escaped his lips:_

_"What if… what if I do?"_

_The fourteen-year-old then tentatively looked up to the man, and he froze when he saw the enraged, almost wild façade of the man. A second later, Avatar Roku disappeared, only to be replaced by his guardian dragon. Its narrowed eyes as crimson with anger as its master's, the beast let out an angry roar before charging at the child, and too late he saw that the dragon had opened his mouth full of glinting fangs, ready to devour him whole._

_A scream. Full of anguish. And everything went black._

----- ----- -----

At the door of a cell, a tall, scrawny sixteen-year-old was waiting impatiently for one of his colleagues, all the while fingering with his blades and wondering where in the hell could she be. The boy amused himself in several ways; he sometimes changed his visage in the most hilarious expressions, imagining the reactions of his friends, and sometimes he tugged at his bright verdant strand of hair, thinking about whether he should change it into a more atrocious color.

And of course, he pondered, stretching, he _would _have used this opportunity to sharpen his skill with his blades, but a certain _someone_ warned him that he could accidentally behead someone by doing so. And since this person-who-shall-not-be-named also threatened to behead the boy if he ever caught him using his weapons carelessly again, the teenager thought it wise to heed his words. _Yes, _Dadhe thought, rolling his emerald eyes.

Finally, after what appeared to be an eternity, a woman as lean as a stick came walking to him, her pallid face wearing a smug and amused expression.

"Asuka," the boy waved at her.

"Misaki," she greeted him back, mockingly imitating his gesture.

"Okay then," the former pirate then became serious, "you said you caught this troublemaker," he motioned to the cell, "a day ago. Do you know what was his motive for sneaking into the castle?"

"She," Asuka told him smoothly. "It was a she. And you know her, too, I believe. Remember the water tribe girl you saw from the prince's ship? That's the same one who's now our captive."

"You caught _Gloria?_" Misaki pretended to goggle at her, and the woman gave him a nasty look.

"No jokes, boy. It's that stupid waterbender who apparently has an infatuation for the escaped prince."

"Ah… _her,_" the adolescent put his hand to his chin and sighed. "If I remember correctly, Gloria seemed to take quite a liking for her. Too bad she's on the wrong side. But," he frowned, "why would she want to get into the avatar's castle when the war is over? What can she really do here?"

"Good question," Asuka, looking suspiciously at the cell, said. "I'm almost sure that she isn't doing it for herself. I figured long ago that she's too simple-minded for that. I think… it's because of that banished prince. She's doing it for _him."_

Misaki's frown deepened as he contemplated this.

"You're right," he told her slowly, "it probably is for that damn Zuko. But what would he want to do in the castle?"

At that, the other warrior practically snorted in disbelief.

"Stupid boy," she chastised him. "You know already that much and you still can't put two and two together?" When Misaki glowered at her, she continued silkily: "Think about it. His empire was annihilated by the avatar. His father was killed by the avatar. Now… what would a loyal son want to do with the avatar after all that?"

An astounded silence followed her derisive words before…

"He wants to _murder_ him?" Misaki exclaimed with an incredulous face. "What kind of idiot is he?"

"A rather big one, apparently."

Misaki scowled and swore.

"We should make sure that the prisoner does not escape, no matter what. A search party for that stupid banished prince will be good, too. And… oh, yeah… the avatar should be quickly informed about all this. What do you say, Asuka?"

The woman looked into the distance, her façade pensive. After a moment, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms, a decision obviously made.

"No," she told the younger one, her voice ringing with assurance. "That would be most unwise. The only good thing you said was that we should guard the prisoner with all we have."

The former pirate frowned at her, irked. Asuka was always like this; closed-minded enough to shoot down almost every idea that met her ears and arrogant enough to voice her own opinions as fact. However, much that he hated to think this, the woman was also unusually smart. She never came out with an idea that would not look into –and therefore benefit them- in the future. That was why the avatar always listened attentively when she requested her presence, and besides Sokka and Gloria, she was perhaps the wisest schemer in the Resistance. Too bad it greatly swelled her ego.

"Go on," the boy then told her, leaning lazily on the wall.

"Misaki," Asuka began, "you know the prince seems to take… a liking to our waterbender. If we have her captive here, he will eventually come looking for her. And then…" she smiled, and the boy felt a shudder go down his spine, "we'll trap him here and capture him for good. So we don't need any search parties," she added after a minute.

"I guess that's a good idea," Misaki reluctantly said, sighing, "but shouldn't we tell the avatar that there is a potential murderer lurking around here?"

"The avatar is the most powerful person on earth," she stated, waving his suggestion off. "He can get rid of anyone in his way. Whether they slowly come to him or spring onto him. Besides, why alarm him for no good reason when we are perfectly able to deal with the prince ourselves? Now, since we're at this… Misaki, don't tell anyone of our plan."

More baffled than ever, the sixteen-year-old felt obliged to ask why, and the woman provided a rational answer quickly:

"Everyone is still celebrating our victory. It would dampen their spirits if they knew that there is still some danger for us to handle. They might take it all too seriously. Besides, getting the Fire Nation brat is a one-man job. I'm sure I can handled this myself, but…" she stopped when she saw Misaki's murderous look, only to quickly add: "… having you behind my back makes me feel a whole lot safer."

"Don't suck up."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Fine," he sighed, stretching again. "But first I have to make sure that this prisoner will get as much security as possible."

When he began walking away, Asuka yelled after him.

"Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the boy laughed. "I'm going to get our second-in-command. If there's anyone who knows about security, it's Sokka!"

----- ----- -----

_Prisoners._

That seemed to be the only word Sokka heard these days. The boy had thought that when the war was over, everything would fall into place and he would just sit back and watch. How dumb he had been then. As Aang had informed him, _of course_ there were still urgent matters at hand, and since (unfortunately) Sokka held the high position of second-in-command, it was natural for him to assist the avatar as he looked over the many Fire Nation men that the Resistance now held captive.

At many occasions, Sokka had boldly asked Aang if they could just release them all or give them ten-year prison sentences at their castle, yet the younger boy immediately refuted his ideas. After all, the airbender had reasoned, some of the Fire Nation soldiers did not deserve to be punished while others were so dangerous that they should be executed as soon as possible (at that thought, Admiral Zhao had quickly come to Sokka's mind).

_"Just because they're from the Fire Nation, doesn't mean they're all the same."_

_But sometimes it does,_ Sokka thought, still brooding. It wasn't easy researching over one prisoner's past and then deciding what was the best thing to do for him. And if looking over _one_ captive wasn't bad enough, the seventeen-year-old could swear that the avatar's army currently had a good few hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers at their mercy. So far, he had decided the fate of more than fifty prisoners, and Aang still hinted that their job was far from done. And now this.

Sokka sighed as he made his way to the particular cell Misaki had told him to visit today. What was so dangerous about this particular captive anyway? Did Misaki ever tell him that? _No,_ a grumpy voice piped up, _he was probably hurrying to get away from me so that he can have fun. And what do I have to do? Look after stupid Fire Nation filth._

After a few minutes, he was at the cell's door. Gazing at the door's dulled steel surface and its numerous, secure bolts, the teenager could easily conclude that the prisoner on the other side was rather dangerous. Yet… at this time… who could truly be a threat to the army? There was nothing the enemy could do to them now, and the second-in-command was greatly relieved by this enlightening fact.

Putting on a grave visage, he took a deep breath and grasped the knob, turning it slowly and praying that he would not have to stay with the prisoner for long. And when he peered into the dirty, dark cell, his heart stopped and he felt a chilling cold dominate his entire body.

She looked more or less like the sister he had known. Her chestnut hair was the same length it had been before, if not slightly longer, and it was currently tied into a long braid that fell to her elbows. She was also taller, and he could see that she had developed a few hard muscles, which told him that she had been through quite a lot since the day she had deserted them. Her attire had changed somewhat, though; although she, like him, still wore the colors of their South Pole tribe, she was now dressed in boy's clothes. Yet they were not the same as his; her shirt was sleeveless and she had light-colored pants instead of dark blue leggings.

Nevertheless, she was still the same person who had stifled out the playful twelve-year-old two years ago.

His emotions were in chaos. So strong, so fiery, and all fighting for total control, they battled violently within his body, twisting his insides and almost causing him physical agony. However, when he met his sister's eyes, he knew what he was feeling the most: anger. Misaki had asked him what they should do with this captive, and a cruel word instantaneously came to mind: _execution._

He drew to his full height and spoke.

"Katara, I didn't know I would see you again so soon."

Biting her lip, the girl glanced at him before looking down, and he tasted her fear in the air, much to his vindictive satisfaction. He continued talking:

"They said that you got caught inside the castle. Trying to sneak in, weren't you? And I'm rather curious who had the honor of capturing you. He must've been strong to have been able to break you."

The waterbender muttered something, and not catching her words, Sokka raised an eyebrow and asked her to repeat what she had said, lest she wanted to face the consequences.

"It was this ninja woman," Katara finally answered, still refusing to look at him. "Tall and as cold and white as a ghost."

"Asuka. I should have known."

A small smile appeared on the older one's face; after all, Asuka always made sure that nobody who crossed her would get away unharmed. And if he remembered what Misaki had told him, Asuka _had_ been thrown overboard by a water whip during her last fight, and she had been rather enraged that somebody had dared -and even more appalling… had _succeeded- _to get her out of combat. Sokka began walking leisurely in the cell, all the while peering at Katara and wondering if she was up to anything. But to his contentment, she presently looked mortified to be in the same room as her big brother, too nervous to try to escape. After all, she had already crossed him once; she probably knew what would happen if she was foolish enough to try to do so again.

"You didn't just sneak in for yourself, did you?" the boy suddenly said, stopping in his tracks and giving the prisoner an intent look. "You were doing it… for your prince…"

Katara didn't reply, but he knew by how her cerulean eyes shifted uncomfortably that he was certainly right. Rage began mounting inside him. It had been that damn prince who had made his sister betray Aang and him before; it was because of that banished one that she was here, imprisoned in the castle while a devious plot was obviously in her mind. And just then, he thought about Aang… and how he would react if he knew that his former best friend was now in the same building as him.

Reminiscing about how the young monk how taken her betrayal two years ago, a new wave of hatred came over the second-in-command, and he couldn't make the boy cry again. He just couldn't.

"You won't tell me what you and Zuko are up to, will you?" Sokka then continued his interrogation, and when the fourteen-year-old shook her head, he glowered at her.

"You'll just stay here then," he told her coldly, "and we'll make sure that Zuko will never get to you. And about food…" For a second, Katara looked up, alarmed, "… I won't be sure whether it'll ever come or not. It depends on what you do…" he let the word linger before giving her another meaningful stare, "… and what you say.

"Now… do you have anything you want to tell me?"

A moment passed in which his sister looked uncertain yet thoughtful, and then –to Sokka's surprise- she looked at him eye-to-eye.

"How did you win the war?" she asked him, her gaze solemn.

He stared at her, for a long while not comprehending her query, until at last, he composed himself once more and answered as calmly as possible:

"The avatar and his forces easily took over the Fire Nation Capital, capturing most of the Fire Nation's army… as well as Fire Lord Ozai himself."

"What… happened to the Fire Lord?"

"He has been executed by the avatar himself merely two days ago," Sokka informed her, unable to keep the note of triumph out of his voice. "And the war is over, Katara. There is nothing you can do."

They stared at each other for a minute, a heavy silence befalling on them, before Katara unleashed a second surprise. A small smile crept to her face, a sincere grin that Sokka had seen many times when his sister was about to give him a compliment, one that she was almost embarrassed to make.

"You must have been in the last battle at Jennoh, Sokka," she said quietly, and when the seventeen-year-old was too baffled to answer, she continued: "You must have fought well. I'm proud of you."

The boy didn't quite know what to make with her words. He knew that she wasn't playing with him; her words had rung clear and true. However, a part of him was furious at what she had said, because they were on opposite sides, were they not? Who was she to say that she was proud of him when all she wanted was his demise? But perhaps Katara had let out her words not as an enemy congratulating on his victory after she had evidently lost, but as a sister who…

The second-in-command gritted his teeth. It was too late for her to make amends, to show that she still cared. Two years too late, to be exact. There were damages she created (Sokka immediately thought about Aang) that could never be undone, and if Katara ever came to him, begging for his forgiveness, he was certain that he would never forgive her.

"I hope you have an enjoyable evening," Sokka fixed her a wintry smile, and the fear came back in the waterbender's eyes.

He then turned his back on her and went to the door. Yet as he slipped out of the cell, Katara spoke again, and her words were so soft that he nearly suspected that he imagined it when she whispered:

"I missed you, Sokka."

Nearly.

But it was too late, he reminded himself as he marched away from the cell. Because Katara was on Zuko's side. She wasn't the same person who had traveled with the airbender and him two years ago.

_After all… the past can never be left behind._

----- ----- -----

The feeling of absolute contentment after the Fire Nation's downfall still hadn't left Gloria.

In fact, most of the Resistance was still celebrating their victory one way or another, and the woman could honestly say that she hadn't missed any of the parties thrown by her colleagues, despite the fact that the avatar's army was a rather big group and practically everyone felt the need to celebrate in their own special way. Yet the best party of all definitely had been the feast the avatar had thrown, and remembering how happily and how fast Misaki had dove through his food besides her, Gloria stifled a giggle. It had been such a long time since they had actually eaten something good.

However, now that the war was over, many of her friends wanted to go home, to return to their family and friends. The waterbender couldn't blame them. She herself had been part of the avatar's forces for almost two years, and she hadn't seen her family ever since. _Entering my mid-forties and still single,_ Gloria thought to herself, sighing. _You would think I would have a life, considering that I helped save the world and all…_ Yet the strange, twisted thing was that when one was busy battling with the realities of the world, it was like giving up the _really_ important things… such as being happy with a family and making a living through the good and the bad. It seemed as if the blond had pressed 'Pause' on her life when she went to the avatar, and she, too, was presently determined to go back to what she had started.

And that was why she was climbing the spiraling staircase to the topmost level. Her goal was simple; to somehow 'bump' into the avatar and have a little chat with him about the wishes of his loyal soldiers. Of course, it wouldn't be the easiest task (after all, she would have to talk to the great _avatar_ about something as trivial as the army's desires), but the rest of the Resistance was convinced that Gloria was the best woman for the job.

_"After all," _Haru, laughing, had said, _"didn't Gloria's change of plans give us our success over the Fire Nation? The avatar owes her his attention at least!"_

In her mind, the adult glared at the young earthbender and she dearly wanted to give him a piece of his mind. Too bad the boy had already headed back to his own village; he had only been a messenger of the avatar, after all. He wasn't as deep into the Resistance as others like her and Misaki were, so he had been lucky not to need the avatar's permission to leave. And letting out another sigh, Gloria entered the hallway and ambled briskly to the avatar's chambers.

What would she say, though? This frightening question abruptly popped in her mind, and for the first time ever, the ever-so-experienced waterbender of the North Pole tribe was unprepared and even panicking. She couldn't just face the avatar and say, 'We want to go home'…. could she? No, her leader would clearly think that she was been arrogant, making demands like that! And it only made it worse that he was only a fourteen-year-old.

_This is going to be rather awkward._

After all, she would be forced to literally look down at him. Imagine that; looking down at her teacher who had taught her so much about waterbending!

But… the avatar would expect that, wouldn't he? He wasn't stupid. Besides, she had talked with him before, and although it had been for more serious reasons, she knew that the avatar was familiar with her and respected her. And with that reassuring thought in mind, Gloria straightened her back and walked more confidently.

Her pace significantly slowed when she saw a small figure coming towards her from the other end, and the hesitation came back when she realized that it was unmistakably the avatar. The child was pretty much the shortest person around, and seeing the familiar autumn hues of his clothes only confirmed the matter.

At first, she put on an expressionless visage and resumed her swift speed, but when she gradually neared the teenager, she knew that something was wrong. The other's steps were slow, almost sluggish, and he kept his head down. Gloria discovered with a pang that his skin was pale, and not the gleaming, almost healthy pallid color that Asuka had, but a most unhealthful and weary white –almost gray- that made the avatar seem thinner and more fragile than ever. He was gripping his arms tightly, and when the two were finally side by side, Gloria was struck by how weak and small he was compared to her… and she was rather petite, too.

"Um…" she started uncertainly, looking worriedly at him, "are you okay?"

"I'm just fine," the avatar replied quietly, and the woman was surprised at how easily the lie slipped out.

Just then, the waterbender remembered that the airbender hadn't been at his celebration feast, and judging by his scrawny frame (every now and then, she could've sworn it trembled), it didn't seem as if the child had eaten for quite some time. Something was obviously wrong.

"When was the last time you ate? Are you sleeping?" Gloria then shot her questions, and only when they were out did she realize that she was obnoxiously poking into his affairs A small, abashed gasp escaped his lips.

It wasn't her fault, though. It was her spontaneous motherly streak. After all, when you were friends with two young boys (one a rowdy, volatile, former pirate and the other a warrior who was so obsessed with kicking Fire Nation butt that he often –if not always- forgot everything else), you just naturally developed a way to restrain them and clean after them. And being bossy since birth didn't help either, as Sokka was kind enough to comment almost everyday.

Besides, just because the fourteen-year-old besides her was the avatar, it didn't mean that he was invincible. Sometimes he needed a good reminding like the rest of them. Yet as the avatar continued averting his eyes from her, Gloria knew that the boy was thinking differently.

"It's okay, Gloria," he told her, closing his eyes wearily. "You can just go down… and enjoy yourself like everyone else."

And then he sighed. It was a small, imperceptible sound, yet the blond instantly knew that it wasn't just an ordinary, tired sigh. It was a troubled and shaking moan of a fourteen-year-old who just didn't know how to cry, to show his feelings, and with his status and his responsibility, the adult couldn't blame him. But he was still merely a kid, and watching him walk away from her, his aura evidently distressed… she just couldn't stand it.

When was the last time he ate? When was the last time he slept? Did that matter much? No, she thought, what really mattered was when was the last time he was hugged and kissed, when was the last time he wasn't completely occupied with what he had to do… when was the last time he was truly himself?

_It just isn't fair._

The sudden statement entered her mind, and she gripped it, knowing that it was completely true. Why was it that some were so carefree and happy while others were forced to work and worry everyday? Why did so many die this century, for being in the way of the Fire Nation, for _being_ in the Fire Nation, and for just being at the wrong place in the wrong time? Why was it that only a few changed for the best while so many changed for the worst, hurting those who loved? And why was it… that a small, innocent child had been charged to save the world?

And she threw her arms at him, enveloping him a fierce, sympathetic embrace that she knew that he hadn't had for so long. For a quick, blissful second, she didn't care about their ranks, but all too soon, reality came back and she remembered that this was the _avatar._ Yes, he was a child… but wasn't he trained for all he had done? And when the boy didn't return the hug, didn't move at all, she began to worry.

"Please get off me, Gloria," the young monk finally broke the awkward silence with this cold statement, and the blond withdrew her arms and watched as the avatar walked away. During their whole conversation, he still hadn't bothered to look at her.

But… she glanced at her left arm and was surprised to see a single drop of water on her forearm.

A tear.

----- ----- -----

In his chambers, the avatar threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes. He was searching for rest, not sleep. Because sleep only brought nightmares from far away. And the avatar didn't have nightmares.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** This was a rather important and meaningful chapter… I think. Yeah, I am a great and confident author here (waves hand sarcastically). This part was rather hard to edit; hopefully, there aren't many obvious mistakes. I'm also wondering whether the last part of this chapter with Gloria and Aang was necessary –maybe it said too much? Because we're still nowhere close to the ending. Your opinion will be very much valued.

What else? Oh, yes. My birthday was (counts fingers) three days ago. I just turned forty-three! (Everyone gasps.) And of course, I'm kidding once again. I'm not _that_ old! Nowhere near, actually. And that is why I can still say I am a talented writer, because I am not yet of an age where people expect you to write this good. I… think. No more bragging now.

Sokka was rather angry in this chapter, wasn't he? I hope you guys don't think he was too harsh towards his sister, but I assure you that I have a good reason for his behavior. It's all anger, and he didn't mean a lot of the things that came to his mind when he was dealing with Katara. It's just hard to deal when you haven't seen a traitor you used to care for so much after such a long time. Don't worry; there will be more explanation for his feelings later.

I'm sorry if I sound shallow here, but I'm a little disappointed that I only got three reviews for the last chapter. Oh, well. I must cope with this, though it really baffles me that I got _ten_ reviews for possibly the most boring chapter of all, and suddenly when it gets interesting, my popularity goes down. Really wacky world we live in, don't you think? Now, to thank my loyal reviewers:

aangsair: Yes, it serves Katara right that she got caught. But personally, I think that it's better that Asuka caught her. Oh, well. Anyway… there will be an explanation for why Aang killed the prisoner… soon. Although I guarantee that you will see something about that (whether it's a good explanation or not will be up to you), I forgot which chapter it will be in. So… yeah. (meek laugh) Thanks for your awesome reviews!

MysticWaterBender3: I always love reading what you have to say! It greatly swells my ego. Keep your reviews like that, and I'm going to turn into Asuka soon. Anyway, I hope this chapter (as well as the future ones) won't disappoint you, and I'm awaiting eagerly for the next update of Destiny's Prison, although I forgot whether it was you saying that you won't update so much now or someone else… Yeah, I'm not good at keeping track of things.

Ryuusui: Yes, it was a nice cliffhanger, wasn't it? Will Katara betray Zuko? Hmm… wouldn't that make her a double traitor? Well, I'm the author; I can make them do whatever I want! (forces Zuko to square-dance) Thank-you for your fantastic reviews so far!

Next chapter… should come out next Wednesday, because I'm not sure I'll be here next Friday. Summer's going by so fast… I'm hoping to finish this story by the middle of September.

Review if you're nice.


	7. Resolutions

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter VI_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ah… this place makes the best cherry rum, although it's no match against ginseng tea…. right, Prince Zuko?"

His back towards his uncle, the banished one only grunted in response. Uncle Iroh, clearly used to this kind of treatment, just chuckled and turned to the rest of the crew, who at least had the wisdom to respect and like such a learned and amusing man. They were all enjoying themselves at one of Kali's few bars, some drinking beer and exchanging their experiences while others settled around a table to play a quiet game of poker. The entire crew was grateful to Zuko, who had so quickly and easily set them all free, and tonight, the night right after their liberation, they had disposed of their worn out Fire Nation armor for some simple Earth Nation robes, not only to camouflage themselves within the small, peaceful village of Kali but also to finally have fun without being labeled as Fire Nation soldiers.

Zuko was having anything but fun, though. He was sitting on a lone stool in the corner, looking out of a dimmed window and hating how the green robe felt against his skin. Unlike his men, the prince could not stop worrying about the Fire Nation, his fate, and…

_Katara._ He sighed and closed his eyes.

Shouldn't she be back by now? They had agreed to meet at the harbor by dawn today, yet he hadn't seen a trace of her when he had waited for her for nearly two hours. Could she really had been… captured? The waterbender was rather good at getting herself out of bad situations, yet the sad thing was… she was even better at getting herself _into_ the worst circumstances. And now pondering over this, Zuko had to admit that his decision of letting Katara go to the castle hadn't been the wisest choice; after all, she had entered the _avatar's_ lair. And even if Katara was right and the security at the castle wasn't so strict, the girl could have gotten lost and accidentally bumped into an enemy, and then…

The firebender recalled how strong the avatar's crew had been when they had fought each other a few days ago. Each one, he could tell, had been severely trained in combat and had been taught to be prepared for anything. And if one of them had a hold of Katara… Waterbender or not, the sixteen-year-old wouldn't have the greatest chance of escaping. And when he finally came to his conclusion, he was almost sure that Katara was caught, and he cursed himself for letting her off by herself in the first place.

Now not only would he have to sneak into the castle and attempt to regain his honor, he would also have to save Katara at the same time. The stakes and the dangers were twice as high, but that didn't really concern him much. However, if the avatar _did_ something to the girl…

_No. I won't let that happen. I'll kill him before he does anything._

"Hey, sir!" one of his younger men called to him, and Zuko scowled as he ignored the soldier, who –from his unsteady voice- had had an overdose of liquor. "Do you mind telling us how you freed us again?"

A low growl escaped his throat and behind him, he could hear his uncle trying to change the subject. The retired general had been rather well acquainted with the prince's mood over the years, and he presently must have known that Zuko did not want to talk, especially since the previous question was one that had been asked over and over again. Some of his crew were the biggest idiots he had ever seen, the firebender mused, sighing. If they thought it had been even remotely difficult to find their captured ship and locate their cell… The banished one smirked. It had been the easiest thing he had done for a long time.

There had been no sentries at all for his vessel when he had approached it earlier that day, and Zuko could only guess that the avatar's army felt that nobody would dare come near their loot. They were morons, too, now that he came to think about it. After finding their ship, the eighteen-year-old had simply slipped inside, and since he knew its interior like the back of his hand, it had merely taken him moments before he had found the cell in which all his men had been imprisoned. And although the enemy had made the cell fireproof on the inside, it was certainly not on the outside. A foolish mistake.

The hardest part, really, had been to sneak his crew out of the vessel and into Kali's streets unnoticed, and that had required a bit of planning between him and his uncle. It hadn't been too difficult though, and they had all finally managed to escape by letting out one man at a time at irregular intervals. And when they had all been free, Uncle Iroh had instructed them to disperse in the village, only to meet again at night in this bar once they had successfully exchanged their Fire Nation attire for something… more subtle. And here they all were now.

Little did his crew know that, for Zuko, his job was long from done.

The teenager then heard a chair being pulled besides him, and a moment later, his uncle appeared, his face concerned.

"Where is the waterbender?" he asked his nephew tentatively, and Zuko sighed again.

"I'm not sure, uncle," he answered quietly, "but I think she's imprisoned in the avatar's castle."

"The castle of Omashu? How did she get there?"

"I… Katara wanted to sneak in because she wanted to know what the castle is like inside, and I let her go in the end. That was stupid, I know now."

Iroh looked pensive for a while, his hand on his chin and humming slightly. At last, he peered at Zuko shrewdly and inquired:

"And why… did the girl want to go in the castle in the first place? Surely there's no reason to know the avatar's headquarters."

Besides him, the banished one frowned. Should he tell his uncle what he was planning? Zuko was afraid that Iroh wouldn't approve and would stop him from his mission, but he was also a little frightened that… his uncle would convince him that his goal was wrong. Perhaps assassinating the avatar would only bring more complications? Yet the firebender didn't want anything to get in the way of what he had to do. Those were the reasons why he hesitated in front of the wise man, yet… his frown deepened… considering how intelligent Iroh was and how well his uncle knew him, Zuko had to admit that his intentions were rather… predictable. If the prince didn't tell him, the other would find out one way or another.

And with that logic in mind, he answered truthfully:

"I might have hinted that I wanted to know what the inside of the Omashu castle is like… because I want to avenge my father's death."

His uncle managed a small gasp. Zuko could immediately tell that the man did not like what he had heard.

"I don't think that's the wisest decision, Prince Zuko," Iroh stated slowly, but the boy instantly lashed out.

"I don't care what's wise and what's not, uncle! What I care about… is my honor!"

The older firebender sighed, having heard this phrase countless of times. The adolescent swore that the man was even amused by his answer, which only angered him more.

"Whether you like it or not," he said quietly, "I'm going to do what I have to do."

"But do you really _have_ to do it?" Iroh pointed out, and Zuko scowled.

"Of course," he snapped, "it's my duty to my deceased father and the Fire Nation."

After that, there was silence as his uncle gazed serenely at him. Then…

"No, Prince Zuko, this is not about your duty to your father at all. It is more about your duty to the Fire Nation… and your personal revenge."

Startled, the prince stared at Iroh before turning away.

"Maybe you're right," Zuko confessed quietly.

Because there was no use lying to his uncle, as always. After his banishment, his love towards his father had gradually decayed, only to be replaced by a fierce desire to regain what he had lost. On that day when Admiral Zhao had so coldly pointed out that the Fire Lord would have already taken him back if he truly loved him, Zuko had realized how much he had changed since that day two years ago, when he had begged on his knees for his father for mercy, a naïve and faithful son. Yet when Ozai had refused his son and had cruelly exiled him, how could Zuko stay loyal to him? How could he love him? How could he call a stranger… his father?

No, if the prince wanted honor, it was for his nation to welcome back with open arms, it was for him to regain his rightful place to the throne so that one day, he would be able to help his people for the best. Everything he had done, it had been for his empire, his people, because he had never been as coldhearted as those generals he had seen in his father's war chamber so long ago. The Fire Nation did not simply conquer for itself.

That day when the avatar had so effortlessly broke into his father's castle and captured the Fire Lord, all hopes for Zuko to restore his honor had disappeared. Because how could he get back his nobility for a nation that had itself become a disgrace? That day when the war had been lost, he had also lost, and he would never forgive the avatar for that.

So his uncle had been right, as always.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh then said, rather gently, "if that's all you're fighting for now, I suggest you just let it go. The Fire Nation… can easily rebuild itself (you should concentrate more on helping it directly) and… on the subject of your personal revenge, that is a trivial want that will help no one."

Zuko was beginning to see in his uncle's point of view, and he hated him for that.

"But there's Katara to deal with, too," the prince told the man. "I'm definitely going to the castle to free her."

"As you wish, nephew."

"And if…" the prince's anger started rising again, "and if the avatar harms her one bit… I'll kill him, uncle. I swear I will."

If Zuko wouldn't kill the airbender for his nation and his honor, he would kill him for Katara. Because somehow… the girl meant more to him that those other trivial matters.

Besides him, the retired general sighed.

"As you wish, nephew."

----- ----- -----

_So tired. So exhausted. His slumping body felt like lead._

_He was walking alone in the dimmed hallway, not knowing where he was going and not caring either. As long as he was all right. As long as he had control._

_Where was everyone else? Where was the rest of his army? The only sound was the echoes of his footsteps, because although the Resistance was there –somewhere- they were never there with him. For him. And that was fine. Really._

_He then saw a blur of a person in front of him. For a moment, it appeared to be merely a shadow, but it soon sharpened into a petite blond._

Gloria…?

_She was wearing the same worried expression she had given him yesterday, and abruptly, he felt scared. For what? a deadpan voice asked him, and he didn't know. All he knew was that she mustn't approach him._

_But she did. One step and he felt a cold shiver pass through him. _Don't come near me. Don't touch me. _He wanted to say those words so badly, but he couldn't. He was frozen. _

_And she threw herself at him, just like the last time, and he couldn't escape. _Get away… from me, _a feeble voice begged in his mind, and the woman's warmth pressed against his ice- cold skin, but somehow, he couldn't feel it, and her stifling warmth only made him feel colder, sadder. _

_Suddenly, Gloria wasn't there, yet he was still smothered in an unforgiving embrace. He closed his eyes, hoping with all his might that he wouldn't see what he thought he would see, but when he opened an eye and saw a strand of brown hair land softly on his shoulder, he knew he was trapped in the worst nightmare yet._

_Because he remembered how it had been when she had hugged him, before the betrayal… before everything. And this time, she was still the same; her hug was warm and tender, but he couldn't feel it, he wouldn't feel it. _

_It had been such a long time since something like this had happened, and a part of him had always craved for more than the simple cold that had gradually dominated him over the years. But he didn't want this; he wanted anything but this._

_She was still the same, after all. How could she though, after all she had done? _

_The warm, content, safe feeling he had every time he had been in her arms… its memory haunted him and forced him to recall the more horrid, black emotions he had felt… that day. The grief, the anger, the tears… _

_He shook and began to cry, because he couldn't do anything else, could he?_

_And the gentle traitor hummed softly to herself as he sobbed, feeling more helpless and disconsolate that he had ever felt before._

_He was… breaking. _

----- ----- -----

He was so cold.

The small monk huddled close and cradled his arms, his blanket long thrown away as he lay there, immobile, in his bed. Why was he so weak? he wondered angrily. Why was he constantly haunted by these nightmares? And why… did they affect him so much? He gritted his teeth, trying to convince himself that his dreams would soon leave him alone… them and the sudden cold that had now dominated him. It was an aggressive sensation, numbing his entire being, and he wanted to throw the blanket of ice off him. But he couldn't shake off this new feeling, and it made him more fragile and more frustrated than before.

He had been shaken, unstable, and clearly not himself these days. It wasn't fair, though. He had finally defeated Fire Lord Ozai; he had done what Avatar Roku had wanted, if not two years late. Then why… why was it as if he was being punished? What had he done that had angered the spirits? Surely it hadn't been killing Ozai, because that had been what everyone had wanted, wasn't it? It had been part of his destiny.

And then he remembered. He recalled the prisoner he had seen just before they had unleashed their final attack on Jennoh. Was it because of him that the avatar had had so many nightmares recently? But no… it couldn't have been. The child had already been troubled during that time, and now, closing his eyes and reminiscing about it, he realized that the only reason he had executed the prisoner so rashly in the first place… was because of his nightmares. Of what was currently going through his head.

The boy had already been on the edge of his nerves that day; perhaps he should have dealt with the prisoner when he hadn't been so stressed. But he had _thought_ he could have handled it. After all, he had always managed to cooperate with his captives in the end, and how difficult could the latest one be? That had been his mistake. Because the airbender had been more restless than he had thought, and the captive… with his babbling and his insults and his insolence… it had just gotten to be so overwhelming… with his nightmares, with the Resistance, with the Fire Nation… that he had just lost all control and had thrown a deadly fireball to shut him up.

Did he regret killing the captive now? Yes, he did, but what he regretted the most was losing control, because he couldn't be a leader without being able to restrain himself. He had to keep everything in check. The fateful summer's end that still taunted him was a constant reminder.

What the monk needed now was to get a grip. Dreams couldn't hurt him, could they? He was stupid to take them so seriously, to let himself be dragged down by them so easily, and besides, he thought, frowning, it wasn't all over yet.

The child lay there, his eyes wide open, as the sun gradually rose and announced a new day. An hour later, the avatar heard a knock at his door and slowly got up, taking his time dressing up before opening the door and greeting the newcomer, who was one of his young rebel firebenders.

"Fire Nation soldiers have been spotted in the village of Kali," the girl crisply informed him, and that was when the airbender knew for certain that although Ozai was gone, his job was long from done.

----- ----- -----

The fourth time Sokka came to visit, he brought a big basket filled with fruit for her.

Katara, who hadn't eaten for three days, stared hungrily at the food her brother had in his hands, all the while wondering, annoyed, whether the boy had purposely tried to starve her. She sat huddled in the corner, watching the seventeen-year-old calmly as he sat on the other end of the bench and finally pushed the basket towards her. Immediately, Katara grabbed a shiny, healthy green apple and bit ravenously into it, savoring the succulent juice that slid down her parched throat.

Maybe the waterbender should have shown more moderation; after all, this wasn't the first time she had gone without food for days. However, she was scared that this would be her last chance to eat, and besides, there was only Sokka in the room with her. And although he was no longer on her side, it was hard trying to convince herself that he was now a stranger and not a familiar face that had seen her devour food countless times before.

"You know," Katara began coolly as she shamelessly reached for a pear, "if you're trying to get something out of me by starving me, you won't succeed."

Obviously astonished by her remark, Sokka looked at her strangely for a moment and the sister instantaneously realized that it hadn't been his intention at all. At least, she pondered, relieved, the boy hadn't turned that hardhearted.

"Well," Sokka said awkwardly after a moment, "I told myself I would bring food to you once you looked hungry. But the problem was… you never looked hungry, and I guess I forgot all about you needing food until I discovered yesterday that we haven't given you anything since you were here."

"I never looked hungry?" Katara asked interestedly, pleased with herself that she had been able to keep her composure without knowing it. "And…" she then stared indignantly at her brother, "you _forgot_ to give me food? How could you just forget?"

For a brief, happy second, the older teenager looked abashed, but then his cold exterior came back and he retorted shortly:

"You're not in the position to make demands, Katara."

The sixteen-year-old sighed and bit quietly into her pear, but a smirk appeared when she saw the other tentatively grab a banana from the basket. And when Sokka took a huge bite from the fruit, Katara had to stifle a laugh.

"Still the same, aren't you?" she commented, amused.

Sokka glowered at her and attempted to look intimidating, but since he was still chewing his banana, he only managed to sound like her old brother when he snapped:

"Shut-up."

Smiling inwardly, the girl quickly finished her second helping and when she was done, she took the time once again to look at her dreary surroundings. The cell wasn't the worst she had seen, she had to admit, but it was nevertheless the place she least wanted to be. The walls were grimy and damp, and the cold floor was filthy, with disgusting spots of black randomly scattered. And the worst part was that there was no lighting in the room; only a small window (with bars, of course) provided the waterbender with a little sunshine during the day, and at night, her cell was almost always eerily pitch black.

And being in alone at night, with darkness all around her, was rather frightening, especially if you were trapped in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place such as this.

Shuddering at the prospect, Katara decided to think about something else.

"Don't you ever clean the place?" she then asked Sokka, raising her eyebrows.

"What for?" he replied, looking at the chamber without much interest. "Prisoners don't deserve luxurious treatment."

"It's not sanitary, you know. I can die from just being in here, with all the germs and the dirt here. Would you like to see me dead on the floor tomorrow?"

The older adolescent opened his mouth, a witty comeback apparently at the tip of his tongue, but then he abruptly shook his head and quietly told her:

"It's clean enough for you."

Frustrated at how distant her brother still was, despite the fact that she shouldn't expect any less, Katara frowned and took a cluster of black grapes, feeling a strange sort of emptiness inside her as she began eating again; she sighed when the fruit's sweet flavor touched her tongue. She stole a glance at Sokka, and her blue eyes widened when she caught him staring back at her. A second later, they both turned away, embarrassed. An uncomfortable quiet soon dominated the cell, and it was broken only when Katara timidly looked back at her older sibling and cautiously said:

"Aang… he knows I'm here, right?"

At that, Sokka blinked and looked at her again. The waterbender saw worry in his eyes and knew that her former friend had no idea that she was now here, his prisoner.

"You should tell him," Katara continued, and her voice began to waver because she knew she was presently entering dangerous territory. "He has the right to know, no matter… what happens. Or what has happened."

"Okay, he has the right," he agreed, looking grimly at her, "but why should I tell him? Is that going to do him any good?"

The younger one bit her lip, gazing steadily at Sokka, and it took a minute for her to come up with the best answer.

"Aang trusts you," she started, staring meaningfully at him, "and he would want you to tell him everything, even if it isn't the best news. If he found out I was here by someone else other than you, won't he feel betrayed? He may not be happy if you tell him, but at least he'll know you trust him enough to confide in him. Aang needs his only true friend… more than you think, Sokka."

The boy looked at her, his face blank, and Katara was afraid she had gone too far. She had talked, against her better judgment, about betrayal, and her brother was most likely feeling outraged at this moment, thinking how in the world could she talk about betrayal… after what she had done? But this wasn't about the past, this was about _now._

At last, Sokka slowly stood up.

"You're right," he told her, sighing, "Aang needs to know. I can't go on protecting him like this if it means hiding something from him."

"That's right," the sixteen-year-old nodded, extremely grateful that he had taken her advice and not exploded in front of her.

'You know what, Katara?" the other South Pole native then said, and the girl turned to him, attentive. "You… haven't changed much either."

Although it was obvious that he was attempting to keep his voice neutral, she could tell that there had been much suppressed emotion in that last statement. That was why she beamed at him until she realized that it might not be the best thing to do, and her expression soon changed into an impassive façade as she nodded wisely.

"There's something else, too," Sokka continued, a small, cold smile spreading across his lips, "Maya just spotted a few firebenders in Kali today. No doubt your prince is already looking for you, and a few people have already been sent to locate and capture him and the rest. It won't be long now…"

At that, Katara felt a sudden, dreadful chill, and just as the boy was leaving, she came to him and tugged at his sleeve. Startled, Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Please," her voice was a murmur, "promise me you won't kill Zuko, Sokka."

"What?"

"You can capture him, you can yell at him," Katara whispered fiercely, yet pleadingly, "but please… don't kill him. Don't even try. Give me your word."

Instantly, Sokka gave her a hard look, but the waterbender tranquilly returned his stare, determined. Finally, the brother heaved a heavy sigh.

"Fine," he told her grudgingly. "If it'll make you happy, I promise I won't kill him or let any of my men do so. But that's it," he added quickly, sternly, when Katara grinned at him, ecstatic. "I'll capture him and torture him any way I want."

He then left, leaving Katara feeling better than she had in days.

----- ----- -----

Sokka was feeling unsettled. And a little uncertain, too.

As he walked away from Katara's cell, planning to head right back to his bedroom, he recalled what had happened earlier and what she had made him do. And now, without his sister's familiar presence and with the harsh reality revealing its ugly face again, he knew he had probably made a big mistake. Katara was the enemy, couldn't he remember? How could he give his word to her and expect to keep it? The sad thing, though, was that he _did_ remember who she was. But he remembered more clearly who she had been.

After all, the second-in-command sighed as he made a left turn, he had never witnessed his sister's betrayal first hand. He had never seen the traitor in action, when she had so cruelly lured his best friend, and in a way, it was a relief. Because after Aang had had that last unfortunate encounter with the waterbender, he had changed forever. Would Sokka had gone through this transformation if he had talked to the traitor before now? He didn't know and he didn't wish to know.

That day when he had found Aang alone at that Earth Nation harbor right after summer's end, the young monk had been sitting dejectedly on a dock, his head lowered and his frame sagging with hopelessness. When Sokka had landed Appa on the water and had come to sit right besides the airbender, Aang hadn't wasted a second to inform him that it had been too late. That they had both seen the comet and that Fire Lord Ozai had presently become too strong for even the avatar to handle. And that had been why, on that day, Zuko had simply let Aang go at that harbor.

It had been strange for Sokka that the firebender had so easily released his best friend, but he had had no trouble believing it. But when the twelve-year-old had told quietly about what his sister had done, that had been another thing entirely. He had thought he had known Katara…. had known that she was faithful to Aang and him… and wouldn't just turn herself to the Fire Nation for that _prince._

He had been in denial then. Simple and clear.

And Aang had had to drag him onto Appa, had been forced to direct the giant bison to fly over the sea, and had had to practically make Sokka look at Zuko's ship and who had been on it before the stubborn South Pole native had finally believed him.

The teenager would never forget what he had seen that day. It had been sunset, he somehow recalled, and the huge, setting sun had stained the calm, glimmering waters a deep, blood red. The Fire Nation's ship had been cast in an unnatural orange glow, and because of that, it had taken Sokka quite a while before he had recognized Katara and Zuko together on the deck, and it had take an even longer time until he had realized that the banished prince's arm had been around his sister's waist while her head had been lying comfortably on his shoulder. And that was when Katara had become a stranger to him.

But… she didn't really, did she? Because those times he had seen her –had talked to her- in her cell, she had appeared to be the same sister who had teased him about his first kiss ages ago. Sokka found it frustrating that he couldn't find a single way in which the girl had changed. Yes, she was with the Fire Nation now, but she wasn't scum like them. She was still… Katara. He still knew her. And that made him feel as confused and upset as ever.

That did not mean, though, that he should let his guards down.

So deep was Sokka in his thoughts that he didn't notice his friend coming towards him until he bumped right into him. Misaki had apparently been oblivious, too, because he abruptly took a step back after the collision, evidently surprised by Sokka's presence. He stared at the second-in-command, his verdant eyes alert. Sokka, meanwhile, smiled at the former pirate.

"Hey," he laughed. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah," Misaki agreed, grinning, "We… haven't, have we?"

"Long day, wasn't it? I'm going to my room where there's at least peace and quiet. Where are you going?"

Tucking a strand of his natural, ebony black hair behind his ear, Misaki paused for a second.

"I'm going to where you came from, isn't it obvious?" was his clever answer when he at last spoke.

"Okay then," Sokka shrugged, "I'll see you soon… or eventually at least."

It was only when the seventeen-year-old entered his room when he thought back to the younger boy and became conscious of the fact that the level he had come from was practically deserted. The third floor was one of the lower and inconsequential levels, and its rooms were currently all empty… except Katara's cell. What exactly… had been on Misaki's mind when he had gone there? Sokka worried about the boy for a moment but soon easily waved his qualms aside.

Whatever Misaki had been doing, it couldn't have done any harm, could it?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** This is a… chapter. I can't find any words to describe it. It _is_ meaningful, but it isn't as interesting as the last chapter. I'm sorry. But look there; I have Zuko in Chapter 6! Isn't that good enough? And I just noticed that I have all four major characters' points of view in this chapter, too. Yeah… enjoy this useless fact. Oh, yeah; I also redid the format of my fanfiction. Isn't it just so much neater now? Admire the improved format and ignore the rather slow pace of Hardened Winds. (laughs meekly)

Next chapter isn't so interesting, either. I'm sorry. Part Two (which consists of Chapters 5-10) is packed with meaningful details, not much action. But I assure you that Chapter 8 will definitely be interesting. Wait for two more weeks, people. It'll come.

Anyway, I am very happy on how many reviews I got for the last chapter. I got two new reviewers, too! And now for my reviewer responses:

Rebel Thief Lava Wolf Cooper: Thank-you for your great reviews, and this is what happens next! Which really isn't much… but what happens after what happens after this will be great! I guarantee it! All you have to do now is understand what I just said…

MysticWaterBender3: I'm glad you liked the meaningfulness of the last chapter, and I guess everyone _is_ on vacation now. Sad. I'm happy that my details satisfy you, and Sokka is formal… because he tries to forget who Katara really is –his sister. I mean, you can't treat a prisoner with affection, can you? But as this chapter implies, it's hard for him to put the past aside.

The Next Avatar: You have to read and find out about the ships. But I suggest you don't add this story to your C2 now, despite the fact that I would love it if this story actually made it to one…

Spleef: Thank-you for that delightful review! And Hardened Winds is realistic, too? Wow… I often worried that it wasn't.

Jaqq: My characters are not OOC? That's great, because I am often concerned about that. I mean, Aang is naturally not like himself because of the betrayal, and I think I got Katara right, despite that she's a little OOC by betraying Aang and Sokka in the first place. It's Sokka that I worry about the most; he isn't… as carefree as he is in the show. But he _is_ seventeen now, isn't he? Still, he's more like himself in this chapter, which does me great good. I also hate it when dark characters break down too easily; it's one of the top things that get on my nerves! I'm so glad Aang didn't break down in Chapter 5….

_Ryuusui_: (laughs) Looks like you _do_ have a thing for Zuko, even though you don't love him. Can't blame you; he's an interesting character (he's in this chapter, too, so I hope you're happy), although I can't see why people think he's good-looking. Hazaa! I am unique; I am probably one of the few girls who think he doesn't look all too good. He looks _okay_, but… Yeah. I can't remember where I said that Sokka would be watching Katara, so I'm a little confused there… I don't keep track of anything I write. Pathetic, I know.

aangsair: Thank-you for saying that the last chapter was enthralling! And… (looks at spell check)… yes, you spelled the word right! Thanks for supporting my story all the way, and I hope to hear from you for this chapter, too!

Next chapter will be posted next Wednesday the earliest. I say the earliest… because I can't post this Friday, and Wednesday I am very busy. It depends on my feedback (winks and wallows in shallowness). And of course, I'm kidding… probably.


	8. The Dark Ahead

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter VII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey, Sokka."

Aang smiled when he saw the older one walking briskly into his room, and when the seventeen-year-old suddenly stopped and looked uncertainly at the monk, Aang beckoned him to join him in the balcony. For a moment, Sokka still hesitated, but then he smiled and stepped forward outside. The sweet, fresh scent of the clear skies above and the lazy afternoon sun must have quickly hit him, because a second later, Sokka's smile widened and he closed his eyes.

"It's great out here, isn't it?" Aang said quietly and Sokka nodded enthusiastically. "Look down."

The second-in-command swiftly did as he was told, and his face briefly tightened with fear as he saw the foreboding ground below. They _were_ rather high up, Aang mused to himself, and he had to prevent his mouth from twitching when he saw Sokka's expression. He himself was leaning, relaxed, on the solid, stone railing, his eyes semi-closed as his clothes were pulled gently towards the direction of the mischievous autumn breeze. After all, he had been on the balcony countless times before, and he was an airbender, too. With his powers, altitude was not a fear.

"We're pretty high up, aren't we?" Aang commented casually, and Sokka gave him a weird look, perhaps debating with himself whether the avatar was playing with him or not.

Which he obviously was.

"Yeah," he soon agreed nonchalantly. "It's wonderful to just be outside and unwind." With that said, he made a weird motion with his hand, as if to strengthen his point.

Sokka was always fun like that. His friend had changed quite a bit from his old, cocky fifteen-year-old self, but to Aang's delight, he had still remained Sokka, although he had had grown much taller and had developed quite some muscles. Yet the South Pole native was still easy to fool and confound, and his amusing sarcastic streak hadn't disappeared either.

They stood enjoying the scenery in a content silence. Now and then, Aang caught Sokka glancing at him, as if making sure he was all right, and he was glad that his friend took such precautions in taking care of him, even though the avatar didn't need much of that now. He was, after all, all grown up, and he could perfectly handle himself. And his growing sense of confidence these days was proof of that, because even his nightmares couldn't do anything against him now, could they? They were gradually receding away, and even when a few came at night, his emotions towards them were becoming less and less hectic. It was a great feeling knowing that he was completely in control.

Besides him, Sokka was already getting used to the amazing height they were at, looking down with a tranquil face. To Aang, it was no surprise that his friend had so quickly adjusted to their location. Hadn't Sokka faced even higher altitudes before when they had ridden Appa? But the memories of those happy days brought a stab of pain, and he knew he couldn't go on remembering. No, Aang resolutely pushed the thought away. Because then… the nightmares would come back, stronger than ever.

"Hey… Sokka?" the younger boy then piped up, turning to the seventeen-year-old. "I have some good news… at least for you."

"You're going to throw me a feast?" the older one quickly guessed, his expression hopeful, and Aang raised his eyebrow at him before quickly shaking his head.

"Sorry, not that good of news. But still good enough, I hope," he said serenely. "Sokka, you don't need to look over the prisoners anymore."

The tall boy blinked at him twice before a wide smile appeared.

"Are you serious, Aang?" Sokka asked excitedly. "That's great! I mean, I was really tired of going over one firebender, and then the other, and… wait," his voice became serious, "are you sure you don't need help? If we're not almost done and if there's still a lot of people to decide over, then I think it's better if I stick to my duty and-…"

The fourteen-year-old immediately waved it off.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done," he told him. "Just about… a hundred more to go?"

"Aang-…"

"Don't worry about it."

Sokka shot him a grateful smile before the two averted their gazes to look straight ahead into the soft cerulean sky. There was no reason for unnecessary words, and the boys were just happy to be together, as friends for once instead of leader and second-in-command. Sokka was still grinning as his eyes followed the clouds, but Aang couldn't help noticing his smile slowly fading as his face became solemn and thoughtful. At last, the older one broke the silence, gripping the railing tightly:

"Aang… I need to tell you something."

Looking at his friend in mild interest, the young monk began listening carefully.

"A few days ago, Asuka captured someone working for the Fire Nation. And in a way… she's special."

Aang remained quiet, gazing at Sokka expectantly. The latter appeared to be fighting for his words, frowning and clearly nervous. When he opened his mouth again, the words came out quick and cheerless:

"It's… Katara. She's here, Aang."

The boy froze. For a short, horrifying moment, the solid confidence he had so carefully built within himself crumbled, leaving… what? A dying emptiness inside –something he had tried so hard to push away- and it sank its claws into him, gleeful to be finally free. Yet the terrible black rapidly retreated as reason got a hold of the avatar once more, and he slowly regained his ground, assuring himself that what Sokka had told him would not make a difference. Because although Katara was here, he wasn't going to see her, was he? He would… pretend that everything was normal, that she wasn't here… and then… _Everything will be okay. Please… let it be._

Still, he was shaken. He hadn't expected to hear about her ever again. And he wouldn't deny the fact that he did not want her here. He wanted her… as far away from him as possible.

"For how long?" he blurted out before he could stop himself, and he instantaneously hated how childish the question sounded.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure… I guess until she tells us why she sneaked in here in the first place… or whenever you want to," he quickly added, and Aang swiftly turned away; was it just him… or did Sokka read something in his face?

Whatever the circumstances, the avatar had to keep his cool composure, and he nodded curtly.

"I guess it's okay then," he sighed and soon managed a weary smile as he looked at Sokka again. "Thanks for telling me this, even though… you knew what happened."

Astonishment registered on the taller one's face before he returned his grin.

"No problem," Sokka said cheerfully, "and don't worry, Aang. I'll handle her."

"That's good."

Yet his uncertainty did not vanish- far from it. Now that it had found something to grasp onto, it swirled and twisted inside him, throwing vicious questions that threatened to make him stumble. And it killed him to know that the traitor from so long ago still affected him so much. The airbender gazed at his friend, who presently had his eyes closed as the winds softly caressed his visage, and he wondered if he could ever show his fears and doubts outside. Probably not, a stern voice told him, but at this moment, he felt daring… and Sokka… he would never laugh at anything he said, would he?

"Sokka…"

The South Pole warrior looked back at him.

"Yeah?"

What was he doing? A part of him yelled at him angrily. He didn't know what to say anymore, but Aang pushed further, prepared to ask his friend anything that came to mind.

"Um…"

All of a sudden, the door to the avatar's room opened and a messenger abruptly stepped in, his face blank as he then loudly said:

"Commander, there is someone at the entrance hall who wishes to speak to you. She said you would know her once you see her."

"Really?"

In a swift motion, Sokka left the balcony and was soon engaged in a whispered conversation with the messenger. A minute later, he turned back to Aang.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said apologetically. "But whatever you wanted to say, you can tell me later, right?"

The avatar forced a weak smile.

"Yeah," he answered quietly, half-heartedly. "I guess."

And as he watched his second-in-command hurriedly leave his chambers, the boy decided that he had nothing to tell his friend anymore.

----- ----- -----

_Who could it be?_

The question repeated itself all over again in Sokka's head. He quickly climbed down the long, spiral staircase, and every time he took a new step, a new inquiry formed in his mind. After all, the messenger had told him that nobody knew the person who was waiting for him, so the newcomer was obviously an outsider. Yet people outside the Resistance usually asked for the avatar, not the second-in-command, and Sokka was curious to know why _he_ was the one being summoned today.

The stairs soon lead him to the ground floor, and he marched to the entrance hall, going over the possibilities. Of course, there were no _real_ possibilities, which only made it more frustrating. At least he should be flattered that someone actually requested for him especially.

A few minutes later, he was in the vast, elaborate entrance hall. The place was the cleanest and most ornamented part of the Omashu Castle, and it had to be if it wanted to impress its guests. Magnificent Earth Nation designs adorned the smooth, peach walls, and there was actually a thick, velvet carpet on the floor, making the building seem more like a palace than the termite mound that Sokka compared it to. Polished stone benches were scattered in the corridor for waiting visitors, and as the seventeen-year-old scanned his surroundings, he soon found a small girl patiently waiting on one of the farther benches.

It only took a moment until she saw him coming, and she quickly stood up and smiled. She was more than a head shorter than him –almost a midget- but her delicate beauty made up for her height. Her complexion was fair and her straight auburn hair fell to her shoulders, where it curled somewhat. Dressed in simple Earth Nation clothing, her short-sleeved, apple green robe falling to her knees, it was clear that she was no one really important, yet her dark hazel eyes gleamed with a certain pride that made earning respect easy for her.

And somehow she was rather familiar, Sokka thought to himself as he finally stopped staring at her.

"Who are you?" was the first thing he said when his ability of speech came back, and the girl gave him a strange look before she rolled her eyes.

"Typical," she stated, sighing. "I had a hunch you wouldn't recognize me."

Her voice. Sokka had heard that teasing voice before. He frantically racked his mind for a name, all the while inspecting the girl and asking himself where on earth he could have seen her before. A minute later, a name popped up. He opened his mouth but his guess wouldn't come up… at least not until the girl, still giving him a slightly condescending look, reached for her sleeve and took out a plain, bamboo fan, which she opened with an all-too-recognizable efficiency.

"Suki?" Sokka gasped, and rolling her eyes again, the warrior of Kyoshi nodded.

"Took you long enough," she said.

"Well… uh…" the boy blushed in embarrassment, "you look really… _different_ without your makeup and your other… stuff."

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, it isn't my fault!" Sokka then countered, a little too fiercely. "I haven't really talked to you since the time I went to Kyoshi! I mean, I did see you once or twice when we fought together against the Fire Nation, but that's it! Give me some slack!"

Suki smirked but nevertheless nodded.

"Okay then," the second-in-command resumed his official voice, "I would very much like to know why you are here."

"Drop that tone, Sokka," Suki nonchalantly ordered him, "we're friends, remember? Or did you forget?"

Recalling all too well what had happened between them at their last moment together two years ago, Sokka reddened considerably and glowered at her, and the girl smiled innocently at him.

"Anyway, I'm here because I wanted to talk to the avatar about what we have to do after the war," Suki then said solemnly. "Yes, we have defeated the Fire Nation –a great victory- but now we have the important job of restoring all the nations by making them work together. The avatar knows that the Fire Nation is in chaos, the Air Nomads are gone, the Earth Nation needs serious help, and the Water Tribes are on the brink of extinction…. not the best situation, is it?"

Sokka paled when he heard the words, because he had never really considered that their job wasn't over. And by Suki's voice, it sounded as if it had just begun. The girl was right; the nations were far from all right (how could he have forgotten about this?), but making things like it used to be a century before looked like an impossible mission, even for the avatar. How could Aang return all the nations to their former glory… and keep the peace at the same time?

"I was sure that the avatar would address this problem immediately after the war," Suki continued, "but it's been more than a week and he hasn't done anything. Maybe he's also as deep into his victory as the others, but I thought I would come here and give him a reminder of reality. He really has no time to lose, even if it is only a week."

_Reality._ The word seemed cold and harsh, and after what Sokka had already told Aang about Katara, did he really need another heavy load on his shoulders? Though the boy had to admit that the monk had taken the news about his sister pretty well, and maybe… maybe Aang wouldn't see his next job as impossible? The boy had already done so much, hadn't he? After defeating the supposedly unbeatable Fire Lord Ozai, taking care of the four nations would seem like a piece of cake to Aang. Probably. Hopefully.

Suki was presently gazing at him keenly, and that was when he realized that all she had talked about was Aang. It didn't look as if she wanted to talk to him personally _at all_. Sokka felt rather annoyed by this, although he knew he should be glad that it wasn't _his_ duty to save the world. _Still…_ When he coolly asked Suki why she didn't just go to the avatar himself, the girl –to his surprise- took on an anxious expression.

"Is he… okay?" she at last hesitantly inquired.

"He's fine," Sokka assured her, "at least as fine as he can be now." It was clear that even Suki had noticed the transformation that had come over the airbender.

"It's strange, Sokka," Suki sighed, sitting back on the bench, "how the boy has changed so much. I haven't really talked to him for years, but by what the people say… and how you never really see him anymore… it's because of that girl, isn't it?"

The boy nodded and sighed. Suki was one of the only people who knew about Katara's betrayal, and even then, he knew that the girl only had a vague idea of what had happened.

"Is he happy now?" the brunette unexpectedly questioned, and it took a moment before Sokka shrugged again.

"I'm not sure… you can never tell if he's happy or not, but I guess he should be after our victory and all."

"Then he isn't."

He stared at her. How could her tone sound so sure? Suki wasn't a true member of the Resistance, and as she said before, she hadn't talked or seen Aang for a long time. How could she… now state that the airbender wasn't happy and be so certain of it, as if she actually knew him? Sokka didn't know how to feel about what Suki said.

"If he's really happy," she continued, looking into the distance, "you would have definitely known, Sokka. He would have shown… traces of what he used to be. But he's as cold as ever, isn't he?"

"You can't really say Aang's _cold_, can you?"

"Compared to before, yes –he's very cold. It surprises me," Suki sighed, "how even winning the war doesn't make a difference for him. The avatar must really be sad, carrying a wound he doesn't know how to heal."

Sokka frowned and looked down. Was that really he's friend? Someone… who would always hurt? Aang should be able to be happy –at least once in a while- and if… if Katara had stolen his smile… that had been heartless. He asked himself bitterly whether his sister knew how much damage she had done.

"We have won the war, but it doesn't mean you can let your guard down," Suki then told him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "There are still some things that the avatar must handle. I wonder if he knows that… or maybe he thinks that it's over?

"Sokka, I hope you'll be there for your friend… when the next big thing hits."

"_What?"_

Suki gave him an annoyed look.

"Don't tell me you didn't understand that," she said.

"No, I perfectly understood," Sokka replied seriously. "You were telling me a prophecy."

Scowling, the girl hit him on the head.

"You better know what I was talking about," Suki hissed, "because I won't forgive you if you don't do anything when it happens."

The seventeen-year-old didn't bother asking exactly _what_ would happen but instead kept his mouth shut. He would be with Aang when 'it' happened. He would be with his friend no matter what. And hopefully, that was good enough for Suki.

"Okay, I will," the boy told her, smiling, "no need to hit me. Besides," he became curious, "how did you know so much about Aang?"

"I'm a girl," Suki retorted, "all girls are psychic. And I'm going to see the avatar now. Highest floor, right?"

"Right…"

And before he could ask her whether she was kidding about being psychic, she gave him a quick hug.

"Take care," she whispered.

And just as swiftly, she left the entrance hall, leaving Sokka indignant and blushing madly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** This is probably going to be the shortest chapter in Hardened Winds…. besides the prologue, but the prologue isn't really a chapter, is it? The point is, I'm sorry if you were disappointed in this chapter because it was short. Next chapter will definitely be longer and more exciting. _Yay._ I also hope that you didn't think this chapter was pointless; I wanted to put in a part where it was only Sokka and Aang acting like friends, and the last part with Suki… although some may think that that part isn't necessary, I think it is. But if you really think I should omit the scene with the warrior of Kyoshi, kindly tell me, backing up your opinion with reason.

I heard that many people don't like Suki. I wonder why; I mean, she's such a nice, unique character. Maybe it's the fact that people don't think she's good enough for Sokka, because the boy is obviously so cool and all (laughs). I hope I didn't ruin the story for you by adding her in. And the very last part, with her hugging Sokka? Let's just call it comedy break. I mean, you have to give _one_ good thing to Katara's brother. He's been fighting hard in the war for two years; he probably didn't have any chance to be interested in girls then. Hehe. Give the guy a break.

Now, I shall thank my reviewers:

MysticWaterBender3: Thank-you for saying that I described people's emotions well. I think that's one of my stronger points. It's sad with Aang, too, isn't it? Believe or not, this chapter has one of his only near-happy moments in this fanfiction. Yeah, I'm cruel.

The Next Avatar: Yeah, I'm a AxK fan… at least I _think_ I am. To be honest, I'm not so interested in that couple as before, but it's still better than Zutara, isn't it? No offense to KxZ fans, of course. Hopefully I'll hear from you for this chapter.

aangsair: Hehe… you reviewed two times. That's the bad thing about anonymous reviews. But both reviews were very much appreciated. I'm also glad that you were satisfied with my explanation about why Aang killed that prisoner.

SaphireStars: Gasp! New reviewer! (shakes hand eagerly) Really, this story isn't the best I can do; it gives me an incomplete feeling, but it's great that you like Hardened Winds. Aang will never see Katara in the story, though. (SaphireStars gasps) Just kidding, but you'll have to wait a little longer before that happens. But I can satisfy you with Zuko's presence, at least. You can definitely count on him being there in the next chapter!

whirleeq: I'm so glad that you were nice enough to check out my story. And your review was refreshing; definitely the best one I have ever had. I have a lot to say, as well, so… I'll just copy you and break it down, too.

1. I'm glad you like dark fanfictions, and wait… I'm not sure if I got what you said, but do you think I can make the story darker? I planned to darken the fanfiction gradually, with uphills and downhills, but if the story really isn't all that angsty, I'll think about revising it. Katara _is_ OOC, but I'm hoping to straighten that flaw out by exploring her thoughts and making her a dynamic character overall in this fanfiction. And lastly, yes, I was tired of all those 'Zuko captures Katara and she falls for him' stories. Although I never read one, myself, to be honest… (laughs meekly)

1. Must… fix… grammar…. error. Thank-you for pointing that one out. I'm glad you hold the first chapter in such high esteem, and although you have a great point about how the show portrays Aang, I have to say that I like his current personality… all happy and optimistic despite everything. It just proves that he's a very strong person, able to hold out even if the world is trying to push you down. Add a little naivety there, and you have a cute, extraordinary, _adorable_ avatar. (hugs Aang) I don't think I would like him quite so much if his dark side was more pronounced, which is rather strange for me… because I tend to love dark characters.

2. Again, Katara is OOC, although maybe I should explain more in detail how Zuko convinced her to go to the Fire Nation side? But that would distract the readers from the main point of the story, I'm pretty sure. We don't want that, do we? I did try very hard to make her reasons rational and satisfying, and I'm glad I succeeded in making Uncle Iroh… Uncle Iroh. Hehe. I'm also happy that you like Misaki (although his name is starting to bother me), and Gloria… yeah, I thought about that, too… about how her name doesn't really fit. But her name just seems… so right. Besides, the name 'Katara' really isn't so Asian, either, and I should know; I'm Asian, by the way. I'm pretty familiar with Japanese names, too. I'll stop bragging now.

3. Aang and Ozai are like Harry and Voldemort. That is a great simile. I loved that Plato quote, too. And I'm sure that Ozai will be killed at the end of the show… unless the producers turn evil and think it's amusing to kill off sweet, sweet Aang. Then I will be forced to go to them and teach them a lesson myself. By the way, I hope Aang doesn't seem likely to be… um… crazy in this fanfiction? Because I don't really want him to go off the rocker.

4. You're the only one who pointed that out. And I'm glad you did. Yeah, it does seem a little confusing, doesn't it? That Katara doesn't want to hurt Aang but nevertheless offers to go into the castle to help Zuko accomplish his goal of murdering the fourteen-year-old. When I revised that chapter, that part immediately struck me, but I wasn't sure if it was really a big flaw, so I just left it like that and hoped that one of my readers would point it out if it was really bad. And you did! Don't worry, I have another reason for Katara wanting to sneak into the castle (it may not be the best explanation, though) and you'll see it in the next chapter.

5. Yes, I liked the chapter, too. Sokka _should_ just lock up his emotions tight and get rid of Katara, but then that would just ruin the whole story. Imagine ending it all at Chapter 5. 'Sokka saw Katara in the cell, stopped in his tracks, and thought, "Gah! It's my sister. Must show control…" Immediately, he executed her and they all lived happily ever after.' I would have plenty of flamers, I bet. I also doubt that Aang bestowed Sokka with the power to execute people, since the avatar himself barely kills off his prisoners.

6. I hope Sokka's promise wasn't too big of a mistake, but it just proves, as you said, that Katara still means something to him. He also said it to shut her up, almost on a whim. Brother knows that sister will continue ranting about Zuko until his word is given to her. Moving on… since you said that the show already broke one of the rules on the 'evil overlord's list,' I hope that means it doesn't matter if I did, too. (meek laugh) But I have a good reason for why Zuko let Aang go, besides the fact that if he didn't, it would seriously screw up my story. We all know that Zuko is good deep, deep down, right? He doesn't believe in hurting people unnecessarily. And if he kept Aang in his cell forever when he already believed that the avatar couldn't do anything, that would fall into the category of hurting people unnecessarily, wouldn't it?

Okay, I said a lot. Hopefully, I didn't bore you. And hopefully, you liked this chapter and will give me great constructive criticism on it, just like you have with my other chapters.

Next chapter should be posted… next Wednesday or Friday. School's coming, but hopefully I'll keep updating. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter.

Review if you're nice.


	9. Failed Escape

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter VIII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

She couldn't sleep.

Of course, in these conditions, the girl didn't expect to find rest easily. Her hard, stone bench was cold and rough, and through the window, she could feel the cool, autumn wind of the night sweep past her, chilling her skin and making her teeth clatter. She wished she had asked Sokka for a blanket at least, but when he had visited earlier today, she hadn't thought that she would need it. And now she was paying the consequences.

Katara opened her eyes and couldn't help suppressing a shudder when all she saw was the intimidating darkness; only the window held a soft glow to it because of the moon tonight, but unfortunately, this small light was not enough to shed even the tiniest brightness to her room. She wondered how long she would stay in this cell. Surely Aang wouldn't keep her here forever? Sadly, she wouldn't know; her brother had hinted that the younger boy had changed for the worst, and the waterbender hadn't spoken to the avatar for years. Still…

_It's so cold._

She huddled closer to herself, attempting to empty her thoughts, as if that alone could tempt sleep to befall on her. When a strong gust of wind blew into her face, making it numb, she sighed, fervently praying that either sleep or the day would come to her soon.

Suddenly, she heard an echoing clink nearby, like a stone hitting the wall outside. Katara immediately tensed, yet she soon shook it off. _Probably just my imagination_, she thought. A soft, dull sound then greeted her ears, so unlike the previous noise, and she didn't worry about it until a second sharp chink was heard. This time, the sixteen-year-old began listening attentively, each second hoping that the sounds she had heard were nothing more than natural sounds from the outside, because she presently knew that they were real.

For a while, silence once again dominated her surroundings. Katara kept her eyes open and her ears alert, and just when she was lowering her guard, she suddenly heard quiet, gentle thuds against the outside wall. By now, she was pretty sure that the noises were coming from the other side of _her_ wall. Realizing that the softer sound was getting louder, she clenched her fists. It was only a few minutes later, when the thuds were significantly less faint, that she realized with a jolt that they were perhaps coming closer to _her._

When she heard a stifled grunt, her worst thoughts were confirmed. Now that she thought about it, Katara was sure that the thuds were footsteps, and she severely reprimanded herself for not noticing this sooner. Yet… footsteps on a wall? Was that possible? Unless it was someone who was sneaking into the castle… because he wasn't supposed to. Another shudder went down her spine, and all kinds of wild thoughts were circling in her head. Was the castle under attack? Was there a serial killer right on the other side of her wall? Who could be determined (and stupid) enough to try to get into the avatar's headquarters like _this?_

However, one rational and reassuring possibility then came to her mind, making her blink, surprised and hopeful. Could it be…?

A soft ring unexpectedly reached Katara's ears… a sound that was way too close to her for her liking. When she abruptly turned to the window, the girl gasped when she saw a familiar face peering at her, and she jumped up and went to the window, a big smile spreading on her visage.

"_Zuko?"_

The boy looked into her cell, shushing her.

"I can't stay here for long, and I'm afraid I can't get you out tonight," he whispered, looking sincerely apologetic.

"It's okay," Katara told him softly, reassuringly. "I'm just happy you came to see me."

"Katara… are you okay? Are they treating you well?"

She thought about Sokka and his cold attitude towards her, but she also recalled the huge baskets of food he had brought to her recently, as well as his slight grins that he was showing more and more.

"Don't worry," the waterbender whispered, "they're treating me just fine."

"Good," Zuko nodded in approval, "or else I'd have to teach them a lesson myself."

"How sweet."

Even from the barred window, she could see him glare at her briefly, yet he soon resumed talking:

"I think that ever since they caught you, they maximized the security here. But I've been checking the castle out at all angles, and I think I can get through. I need you to tell me, though, how I can find your cell once I'm in."

Promptly, the waterbender explained how to reach the stairs that directly lead to the level she was held in. Katara was glad now that she hadn't been knocked unconscious when the woman in black had forcefully led her to this room, and she was even happier that she hadn't forgotten. She even knew how to get to her cell directly from the main entrance, because when she had unsuccessfully sneaked into the castle days before, she had gone to one of the more remote hallways, forcing her capturer to retrace her steps to where she had started. Things were looking up.

"Great. I think I got it," Zuko told her. "It'll be risky escape, though. We'll both have be extremely quiet and on our guards at all time."

"I can do that."

The girl saw the prince smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked smoothly. "Then why are you here now?"

This time it was her turn to glare.

"Well, if you think you can really do it, be prepared to get out tomorrow night. I'll be there."

Katara stared at him, taken aback. _Tomorrow night…?_ That was so soon, although she should've expected it. Yet in a way, she hadn't expected anything, because although she had been talking enthusiastically about their escape plan with Zuko, it hadn't seemed like a real thing they were going to do. Which was a pretty stupid thing to think, a nasty voice piped up, and in the darkness, Katara scowled, knowing that she had been foolish.

"Are you okay?" the firebender suddenly asked her, and she gasped, embarrassed.

Although she could barely make out Zuko's face, it was clear that he could see her own features rather well.

"I'm all right," she hastily answered, "and yes… I'll be there tomorrow."

"Where else _can_ you be?"

Blushing at her blunder, Katara just nodded this time, and satisfied by that, the boy didn't question her about that topic any further. Instead, he nodded back curtly. All of a sudden, though, he shot the most unexpected question to her:

"Why did you want to come here in the first place?"

The girl look at him, bemused.

"Didn't I tell you already?" she asked, hoping to keep her voice light. "I wanted to find the quickest path to the avatar for you."

For a moment, there was silence between them, and then Katara could see the prince shake his head in the darkness.

"No, that couldn't be it," he whispered, almost to himself. "You wouldn't… be that helpful when it comes to harming the avatar…. your _friend."_

_Busted._ The boy was right, of course. She could have sworn that her plan had been flawless, that he would have never suspected, but nothing passed Zuko's watchful eye unnoticed. She hadn't sneaked into the Omashu castle to hurt Aang, although in a way, hurting him was presently unpreventable, but to…

"I wanted time."

"_What?"_ Zuko apparently hadn't expected that answer. "Why?"

"I-… I needed time to gather my thoughts, to think about what you wanted to do," Katara continued, sighing. "Because…" and here she hesitated, "because I knew that wanting to murder Aa-… the avatar is wrong."

"You could have just told me straight out." The prince was annoyed at the truth, she could tell, but unknown to him, his previous statement was a lie.

"No, I couldn't," she replied quietly, shaking her head. "Zuko, you have to know yourself. You're so stubborn and close-minded when you think you're right."

"I would have listened to you!"

"No, you wouldn't," Katara told him, her voice unexpectedly hard. Yet she immediately composed herself as she calmly explained: "I know you. Unless I have really good reasons to back up my argument, you would stop listening to me in less than five minutes. When you suddenly came up with the mission of killing the avatar, I was surprised, worried, and even a little confused. I couldn't just say 'no' to what you wanted to do immediately, because I knew that if I just did… it wouldn't do anything. Especially since my thoughts… they weren't all too clear. I needed some time alone."

"And why did this time have to be acquired by putting yourself in danger?" Zuko asked cynically.

"Come on," Katara said, crossing her arms. "If I told you that I needed some time alone to think, you would know that I didn't agree on you on something. And then you would raise your guard and refuse to listen to anything I say when I came back. You tend to be even more close-minded when you can sense an argument is coming, Zuko."

Frowning at her, the eighteen-year-old opened his mouth to counter what she had said, but when he failed to think up of a reasonable reply, he frowned and remained quiet.

"So that's why I came up with the excuse of going to the castle."

"And if you didn't actually go there, I would know," the prince finished for her in a monotonous tone. "So… are you trying to make me feel guilty? That you're here simply because I'm a arrogant, bigoted-…"

"No, of course not," Katara whispered quickly, and there was another sigh. "But you're right; coming to such a dangerous place wasn't the best idea. I'm sorry for that. But this tells you a lot, doesn't it? That I really don't want you to do anything to Aang. Zuko…" she then started slowly, knowing that her next question may not get the best reaction from the firebender. "You… don't _really_ want to kill the avatar, do you?"

Through the darkness, the girl could have sworn she saw him scowl, but when he answered, his tone was controlled:

"We'll see."

_That's not good enough of an answer!_ she wanted to scream at him, but she kept her mouth shut and instead frowned at him, hoping the banished one would see her displeasure.

"I'm sorry, too," he instead confessed. "I should have never let you go to the castle in the first place. But don't worry. You'll be free in no time, Katara," he assured her rather gently, and before the girl could say something else, it seemed as if the prince just jumped off her wall, because a second later, he was gone.

Sighing, Katara made her way to her bed and lay down again. It wasn't so cold anymore, she realized, and she was looking forward to tomorrow night, even though there was an unmistakable feeling of dread that came with her newfound hope. However, she didn't know where this other sensation came from, and when she tried once again to just relax, it proved harder than ever to fall asleep.

Her feelings were contradicting each other, making her doubt, yet she didn't know why until the next day.

----- ----- -----

"You look terrible."

That was the first thing that came out of Sokka's mouth when he entered her cell, bringing a small, covered basket this time. Katara glowered at him fiercely, but her brother was probably right. She hadn't slept well at all last night, if she had managed to fall asleep at all, and today she was feeling awful. Her bones ached from the hard bed she was forced to sleep in; she also felt exhausted, unable to concentrate. It didn't make her feel better knowing that whatever she was feeling on the inside, it must have looked two times worse on the outside.

"Your hair is a mess," Sokka went on, much to her annoyance, "and your clothes are all wrinkled. You should see your face, too, Katara. It's so lined that it looks like Gran Gran's."

"Sokka?"

"Yes?" her brother said, sitting down comfortably on the bench. He still sat on the other end, but he didn't do so as stiffly and formerly anymore.

"Shut-up," Katara told him, and Sokka scowled before he smirked and showed her the basket.

"Look, Katara," the seventeen-year-old then said very slowly. "This is your food for the day," he pointed to the basket. "If you don't behave, you don't get any food. No good, no food."

The girl dearly wished she had something to throw at her brother as he gave her the basket… after another irritating taunt or two. Her exasperation soon turned into surprise, when she pulled out a chicken leg.

"Meat," the sixteen-year-old said, blinking at it, "you haven't ever given me meat."

"Well," Sokka said casually, coolly, "I thought fruit wouldn't really keep you alive. There's seal jerky, too, if you're wondering."

Katara's spirit dampened somewhat as she bit into her chicken and watched Sokka divert his gaze from her. Her brother still didn't want things to go back to normal. He was still restraining from acting completely like himself. Of course, after everything that had happened, it was impossible for things to ever go back to normal, could it? Would Sokka forgive her if she told him she regretted joining the Fire Nation? Would he then treat her like his little sister again? Katara didn't regret anything though, and she doubted Sokka would ever trust her again anyway. Things were more complicated that she had thought it would be.

Before she knew it, she had finished her leg, and even more amazingly, the girl was still hungry. She dove into the basket for some more and found the seal jerky Sokka had mentioned earlier.

_"It's so lined that it looks like Gran Gran's."_

Her brother's statement unexpectedly came up to her mind, and Katara realized that it had been the first time that Sokka had talked about something that was remotely related to their past lives. _Gran Gran. _She felt guilty all of a sudden, asking herself whether the older lady knew what had happened to her… whether she was harboring the same feelings as Sokka. Katara couldn't blame her grandmother if she did, but she nevertheless felt horrible when she thought about Gran Gran acting as frigid and indifferent as her brother.

The girl put down the seal jerk. She was remembering all the things that had happened to her when she had been young and cared for in her South Pole tribe, almost hearing her mother's sweet, soft voice as she sang her a lullaby so long ago. She saw Sokka's bored grimace when she had asked her father to recount an event that her brother had heard a hundred times before, and…

_"Can you teach me how to fish, Sokka?"_

_"No. Ask Dad."_

_"But I want _you_ to teach me, Sokka… why won't you teach me?"_

_"Because it's too much work. Ask Dad."_

_"Can you teach me how to fish, Sokka?"_

_"_No!"

_"Teach me how to fish… please?"_

_"No, no, _no_, n-…. Fine, all right!"_

Katara was feeling homesick, and it was deep, chagrined feeling that she had never felt before, not even when she had been riding on Appa's back two years ago.But that had been because Sokka had been there and acting like the stupid brother she had loved. And she hadn't felt homesick like this on Zuko's ship, because she had tried not thinking about Aang and Sokka… and she had never known how different things had become because of a small change of mind.

And now… she had no idea where the brother who had taught her to fish had gone.

"Do you remember the first snow watchtower you built?"

The most unexpected question. It had just come out of her before she could have stopped herself. Katara gazed intently at the other, wondering whether he would even answer.

"Yeah," the boy replied after a moment of silence, frowning and already on his guard. "When Dad left… it was about six feet high, wasn't it? It was pretty good until it fell the next day."

"No, you idiot," Katara almost instantly chastised him, "the first one you built was when you were ten, don't you remember?"

She was talking to him almost as if everything was normal, as if there wasn't a rift between them. It had been a dangerous move, she knew, but it was a risk she was willing to take, as long as she could see whether Sokka would respond, whether he would care…

"_What?_ That's impossible!"

He did.

"Three feet high," the girl went on, ignoring Sokka's protests. "Four feet high if you were lucky. And the polar bear peed on it the moment you were done."

"That was _not_ a watchtower," the older one said quietly, struggling to keep his voice in control.

"You called it a watchtower, though… don't you remember? You have a bad memory, Sokka. Okay then… do you remember the biggest fish you caught?"

"Yes, of course. It was a giant salmon- at least two feet long."

"I remember you caught something bigger…"

"_What?"_

And as they talked (or to say it more accurately… _argued_) about their childhood, she saw him gradually lower his defenses, becoming unafraid to show his anger, his bemusement... Perhaps he had done this subconsciously, with no meaning, or perhaps he was warming up to her… and there was a possibility that they could be family again.

----- ----- -----

When Sokka at last left her cell, the girl sighed.

When she and Zuko would escape tonight, Katara knew that she would probably never see her brother again. It was almost certain, in fact. The two were from completely different worlds now –enemies to each other- and even if they could sort out their differences, when would they ever have time for a reunion in this hectic world? There was a heavy weight inside her, bringing her down, because she knew she would miss him once she was gone… and she would think of all those times together and would have to remind herself that they no longer meant anything.

_I wonder if he'll miss me, too._

Probably… probably not. Katara couldn't tell. There were times when he teased her when she was sure he hadn't totally abandoned her, but when she asked a personal question, she could see his eyes hardening as he recalled once more their situation. And the worst thing of all was that… she couldn't say it wasn't fair. She deserved what her brother was flinging on her –his aloofness, his mistrust- because she had betrayed him. And what more… betrayed his best friend.

_Aang._

The waterbender hadn't even seen him yet, much less talked to him. A part of her truly wanted to know what had happened to the airbender, how he was doing, but her more rational side knew that it would be dangerous trying to seek this information. Because if Sokka was so cold to her because of what she had done two years ago, how would Aang treat her? A small stab pierced through her when she recalled his tears as they had flowed freely to the dirtied ship floor, his fragile figure shaking as he begged her to release him, to tell him that it wasn't true… that she hadn't joined the opposite side.

_And there was blood streaming from the bars he was gripping… because his nails had cut through his skin._

And according to Sokka, he wasn't Aang anymore. At least not the child she had remembered. Nothing was what she had remembered.

_I can't go back. That's why… I have to move forward._

The girl would have to deal with the hole, because there was nothing she could do. Zuko would come and get her, and life would move on. Her stay here would soon be another trivial memory, quick to vanish like the rest.

The sun was coming down when Katara heard footsteps nearing her cell, and instantly vigilant, she listened closely to who it might be. It took only a second, though, to figure out it was Sokka. After all, only his footsteps were quick and efficient, all the while being as loud as a stampede of mammoths. However, before she knew it, she heard another set of footsteps coming to her from the opposite direction, and this time, she had no idea who it was.

Sokka stopped right at her door. A minute later, the second pair of footsteps stopped as well.

"What… what are you doing here?" the seventeen-year-old then inquired, startled.

"Interesting question," the newcomer said quietly.

His voice was quiet and held a solemn ring, and it reminded Katara of the soft, cool autumn breeze. Not only that, but it also sounded all too familiar…

"I was looking for you, Sokka," he continued, "and I looked around everywhere until I came down here. I'm rather surprised, though. Why would you come to her cell two times a day?"

Her brother was embarrassed, the sixteen-year-old discovered, because it took a long while before he answered, a little clumsily:

"I don't know. I just felt that I had to check on her. It's my instincts, you know." The boy laughed meekly.

"Yes. Your… instincts. I'm sure they're always right."

It couldn't be, she thought, her eyes widening. The voice was stoical and composed, so unlike… But was there any other explanation? She could definitely recognize the voice and its mildness that sounded soft and sometimes even meek, but there was also presently the edge of steel in it, so cold that it just couldn't be…

"At least they were right _sometimes._ Maybe they're right again… at least I hope I didn't come here for nothing, Aang."

And with a violent shudder, Katara knew she hadn't been wrong The child answered again, but she didn't pay attention to what he was saying. His voice… she could tell that it was definitely the airbender's, now that her beliefs were confirmed. But why was it so different? Yes, in a way, it was still the boy's gentle, recognizable tone, but it lacked in warmth, in the familiar happiness that only Aang had. To her, the twelve-year-old's voice had been quiet, yet it had always held a genial, innocent feeling to it, like the playful summer winds that so naturally soaked into one's spirit. But when the fourteen-year-old talked, there was no teasing breeze anymore, replaced by a harsher, colder wind. The new Aang, she had thought, would be determined and justifiably angry, but by the sound of his voice… he wasn't angry or determined at all. Just calm…

_And sad._

"I need to talk to you about what we're going to do about the nations," the avatar told Sokka tranquilly, and although her brother didn't reply, Katara soon heard the footsteps receding, leaving her with her frantic thoughts.

Maybe she wasn't evaluating the situation correctly, she reasoned. After all, she hadn't seen Aang's face, and for all she knew, he had been smiling on the time. Although judging by his previous tone, that was rather unlikely. Still, one did not know everything about another because of his voice, which made Katara wonder how much the avatar had really changed. The girl would never know though, because as she watched the glowing red sun finally set from her small window, she knew that the prince was coming, and she was glad. After all, even if she did get to know the present Aang, what would that amount to? _Nothing,_ Katara told herself firmly, laying down before closing her eyes and letting herself rest. Everyone had changed the last two years. It was natural. Why should she be… worried?

The dark gradually crept back, and soon, an ominous pale moon appeared, along with the million minuscule flickers of bright, shining stars. Night had descended.

----- ----- -----

Even in the dark, the castle of Omashu made its presence known.

Its many towers rose to the ebony black sky as if watching the dormant city below, and the giant citadel was even more intimidating in the shadows, an enormous, sinister figure amidst the smaller edifices around it. Ominous, grotesquely shaped, and emitting a subtle, enigmatic aura, it seemed almost like a monster. It was a gusty night, and the strong, cool winds crashed into the walls, attempting in vain to penetrate through the solid brick earth. The structure was practically invincible –the headquarters of the avatar- and to be home to such a powerful figure, it needed to be protected at all times. The walls were thick, impossible to break, and all the entrances were guarded… at least, they _had_ all been guarded.

Because at the main entrance, the two earthbender sentries were presently on the ground, evidently unconscious, and when one peered at them closely, they could see rather severe burns on their necks, still smoldering red. A firebender had crossed their path.

Indeed, a banished prince had just infiltrated into the gargantuan castle, his steps light and quick as he easily made his way through the numerous hallways, intent on accomplishing a single, necessary task. Everything around him was a murky shade of midnight blue, and he was thankful that there were torches at intervals lighting the corridors. He didn't know whether he could have so smoothly found his way through the building in the dark. The firebender had never been inside the daunting building before, yet thanks to an insider, he knew exactly where to go. No other guard stopped him, because fortunately, the cursed avatar had not had the wisdom to post patrols in the corridors.

It was extremely easy navigating through the castle, the eighteen-year-old thought to himself, smirking, and in no time at all, he had reached the small set of stairs that would carry him to the nearly abandoned third floor where Katara lay waiting. His eyes swiftly flickered to his surroundings, his body tense and ready to fight at any moment while his ears strained for any unwanted sound. However, the coast was all clear, almost making the firebender suspicious of how lucky he was.

The third floor. He was there already. This hall was darker than the others he had gone through; the torches were at a farther interval, and at this stage, the boy took more caution, this time deciding to walk his way towards Katara instead of running. He didn't come all this way to be caught in a trap. Surprisingly, there were many doors on each side of him, but he knew that he would be able to find the right one. Because Katara would be behind it, and she would make sure that he saw her once he passed her.

After a minute, as he had gone past the tenth door to his left, he heard a small cry, and abruptly the prince stopped and whirled around.

"Zuko!" a quiet voice called for him, and he knew instantly that it was her.

He hid a small smile, immediately beckoning her to be quiet. Prepared to burn through the keyhole, he held up a flamed fist, yet at that moment, he heard footsteps coming towards him. Then, without warning, a violent punch came in contact with his face. Letting out a muffled gasp, the boy crashed to the floor and swore under his breath.

Somebody had seen him coming.

In one fluid motion, he got up, glowering at the darkened hallway in front of him, but there didn't seem to be anybody there. Too late he realized that the opponent had somehow slipped behind him as he felt himself being tripped onto the floor. When his adversary approached him again, probably trying to land another punch, the firebender rapidly jumped up and kicked with all his might. His attempt was successful, he soon learned, smirking as he felt his foot brutally sinking right into the enemy's stomach and making the other gasp. Zuko, seeing the advantage, then rushed forward and tried to get a punch into his opponent's face; he swore it was only luck that saved the stranger from being hit right in the nose when he hurriedly dodged and instead managed to punch the banished one in the chest.

However, it didn't hurt so much, because Zuko had seen it coming. Avoiding another blow, he soon decided that his goal was to try to knock the other unconscious, the thought quickly followed by an attempt to hit the foe's head.

"Zuko!" he could faintly hear Katara from her cell, but he didn't need to worry about her; the girl was safe in her cell.

It was time to use fire, the prince mused, dancing flames emerging from his hand. After all, sharp, scorching burns were always able to knock one down. Especially, Zuko knew, if it attacked one's face, and thinking about how annoyed he was with the stranger he was fighting with, he couldn't help believe that the other deserved his unforgiving fire. He had shown mercy with the earthbender guards earlier, but this one would just have to deal with the harsh consequences of crossing path with a firebender prince.

His adversary struck again, his kick directed at his face, and snarling, the eighteen-year-old darted away from the assault and clenched his fist, prepared to give the guy a lesson he would never forget. His fist rushed to the other's face, yet again, his opponent dodged his enflamed attack, although part of his hair did come on fire. Only for a second, though, before the stranger managed to extinguish it, and when he did, he stopped and glared at Zuko.

For one still moment, both had stopped fighting, regaining their breath as they stared angrily at one another. It was almost completely dark where they were now standing, and the torches' far away fire could not shed light to the stranger's face. No matter, the banished one viciously thought. Once he was done with him, his face wouldn't be nice to look at anyway.

Just then, the adversary drew out a long, thin object. It was only when he was running to Zuko, brandishing his weapon, did the other discover that it was a sword. And much to his anger, there was already a nasty cut on his cheek before he could have managed to steer away from the attack. The prince could feel the wound opening up and the blood flowing slowly, a few drops reaching the floor, and the heat of his injury made him want to hurt this bastard as much as he could.

With a small cry of anger, Zuko ran forward, hitting the other on the shoulder. When he heard the fire sizzle through the enemy's clothes to his very skin, he smiled cruelly. The victim let out a small shout of agony before taking a swipe at the firebender with his sword, yet the latter easily dodged it before attempting to land another blazing attack. His adversary was gradually stumbling back, probably still hurting from the sharp pain of his burn, but when Zuko moved in for the kill, he drew his sword. A moment later, it was the prince's turn to gasp as the blade slashed at his throat.

If he had been any closer to his opponent, he would have been dead.

The eighteen-year-old took a few steps back, gritting his teeth when he felt the blood rapidly flowing from his injury, staining his Earth Nation robe and splattering noisily on the floor. Although it had not been fatal, the stranger's attack had made a rather deep wound, and even the firebender knew that it was no good continuing fighting anymore. The other seemed to be thinking the same thing about his own burn, because he was gradually withdrawing, taking one step back at a time under Zuko's enraged gaze until he was completely hidden by the shadows.

"Zuko! Are you are all right?" a soft voice unexpectedly asked in concern.

That was when the prince remembered that Katara had been inside her cell all this time. She had probably seen everything from the door's tiny, barred opening.

"I'm bleeding," he grunted in reply and when he heard her gasp, he quickly whispered: "I'm fine, I'm fine. But I can't free you tonight, Katara. I'm sorry," he then turned away, the pain from his injury beginning to become more intense. "Because if I got you out and we met someone on our way outside the castle, I'm not sure I could fight for long. Besides, that guy is probably going to try to get reinforcements. I'm not sure I can handle that either."

"It's okay," the waterbender told him in a soothing tone. "As long… as you're all right."

Despite his failure, Zuko smiled slightly before whispering his good-bye. A minute later, he was dashing through the maze-like hallways of the Omashu castle, seeking for the exit while his mind was already focused on how to get back in again. He would not rest until his girl was free.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Argh… this chapter was a _nightmare._ I had to reread two times (which is really bad for me, because when I revise a chapter, I do it really slowly, and it's all so agonizing), and I had to make so many corrections. For the last fight scene with Zuko, I practically had to rewrite the whole thing. Plus, after all this, I'm still not so sure if this chapter is good at all when it comes to perfection in spelling and grammar. And this was supposed to one of the _better_ chapters. After all, it was interesting, wasn't it? Although the identity of the stranger who fought Zuko in the last part is pretty obvious, in my opinion… Oh, well.

I am so happy I got nine reviews for the last chapter! Thank-you all! The last chapter wasn't so good, though, which makes me see a pattern in my story's popularity… For the chapters which aren't so eventful (like Chapter 1 and Chapter 8), I tend to get a lot of reviewers, but when it finally gets interesting… everyone deserts me.

Which technically means I'm only going to get three reviews for this action-packed (or not) chapter. The most. Argh.

Let's not dwell on that, shall we? Let's talk about Sokka now instead. I hope he wasn't acting too warm to Katara in this chapter, but tell me if he was, because big brother can't forgive little sister that easily, can he? But believe me, I made a lot of changes for that part of the chapter. Sokka was originally a lot more friendly to the waterbender.

School is starting by the way, if you didn't notice. Yeah, for most of you, school already started a week or two ago, but I'm one of the few lucky ones. My school won't start until this Tuesday. For so long, I have been rejoicing this fact, but now that my school is about to begin… Twitch. Not a happy thought. But rest assured! I shall keep updating every Friday/Saturday! I can almost guarantee you this! Aren't I so nice? Hopefully…

Let's go to the reviewer responses, shall we?

Boylessgirl52941: I feel so flattered that you wrote your longest review… for me! (gasps and cries in gratitude) I… am… so… happy. (reader rolls eyes) Okay, I shall get a grip now. Is this a Aang x Katara story, you ask? I shall not reveal this to you now, I'm sorry to say, and I assume that means you're a Zutara fan? At least you can enjoy the little KxZ fluff in this chapter. Thank-you for saying I'm a great writer, and I'll try my hardest to update consistently and complete my fanfiction! Just because I know that there are people out there who really care…. (sniff)

_SapphireStars_: Yes, poor Aang. (hugs him) Will he be okay eventually? Read on and find out. Thanks for the lovely review, by the way.

Blackrosebunny: You think the last chapters were good? Thank-you! Aang x Zuko is awesome, too, I agree completely, and bottom lockers suck, I agree completely on that, too.

MysticWaterBender3: I am so grateful that you're really interested in my story. You inspire me to be a better writer, although I'm not sure that'll happen any time soon. Continuing on… yeah, bad romance stories are things I hate, too, although I somewhat disagree on you when it concerns good Sokka x Suki stories. I mean, there is a possibility that they'll get together, despite the fact that the girl only appears in one episode… right? As long as the fanfiction is good, sometimes you can disregard some facts made solid in the show. And I portrayed Suki's character right? That's great! I'm also glad you like my pacing (I admit I was a little worried about that), but I can assure you that every single line of Hardened Winds is _not_ perfect. If they were, why did I have so much problem with this chapter? I hope Chapter 8 wasn't too bad…

tigerchic121: My fanfiction is intriguing? Thank-you! That's a great adjective you used to describe my story! And you know what's funny? You were a little critical of my story because you're an AxK fan and you thought that this was a Zutara fanfiction. Another reviewer of mine, though, was skeptical about my story because she's a Zutara fan and she thought this would be an AxK story. (laughs) What will it be in the end? Only I can decide!

TempestJLU: Thank-you!

_mop: _Thank-you so much for saying that this is your favorite darkish fanfiction, although I doubt it will remain so for long when there are better angst writers out there. I'm glad that I can portray the characters' emotions well, and I'm even happier that you weren't offended when I bragged a little in my earlier chapters! Although I probably won't be doing that in the future…

Spleef: Thank-you, thank-you. I know you're a talented writer, and for you to say that you love my story… it's a very great compliment. Anyway, when I was talking about stories where Katara has to choose between Zuko and Aang, I don't mean in a romantic way. What I truly mean is that in many stories, Katara falls for Zuko and then just turns on Aang and Sokka, joining the prince's cause instead. Like… in my story. (laughs meekly) I am so glad I explained the parody quality of my fanfiction in the first chapter…

aangsair: Thank-you for saying that the last chapter wasn't short, although I can assure you that it's the last 'short' chapter you'll see. Besides the epilogue, anyway… You think Suki is cool? Me, too, and yes, I'm Asian; a hundred percent pure Asian blood flows in my veins, although I was born in the lovely, wintry landscape of mild Canada. (sighs nostalgically and starts singing the Canadian anthem)

I do not like school. But I shall be forced to commence it this Tuesday. Cruel, cruel life. I'll be back soon, though! Either this Friday or Saturday, so no need to fret!

Review if you're nice.


	10. We Meet Again

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter IX_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You broke your promise."

Those were the first words that slipped from Katara's lips when he came to her cell the next day, this time bringing an enormous basket of fruit. Hearing her cold tone, Sokka abruptly swerved his head to her and stared, confused. Katara was wearing a solemn expression, gazing at him sternly as if he had done something obscene. Perhaps breaking his word was something totally wrong to her… if he _had _done anything of the like. Which he didn't. And that was why Sokka soon opened his mouth and came up with this mature reply:

"I didn't do anything!"

Yeah. Two years had done wonders for him. Meanwhile, the other looked scandalized for a moment, but when she didn't glower at him and instead continued to give him that grave (and _irritating_) look, Sokka knew that something was truly worrying her. And despite the fact that she was his prisoner and that he shouldn't care the least bit about her problems, he still sat heavily next to her (keeping a good amount of distance, of course), prepared to know what was on his sister's mind.

"Okay, what did I do now?" he sighed, his tone surprisingly gentle.

"You mean… you don't know?" Katara gaped at him, appearing irked _and_ perplexed.

"I have no idea." Sokka shook his head and while she was looking at him quizzically, almost skeptically, he lazily tossed her a banana from the basket.

"You promised, Sokka… don't you remember?" her sister inquired, and she seemed sad now. "You told me… you wouldn't kill Zuko."

"And from what I know, he's still alive and well," Sokka retorted matter-of-factly.

"Alive… but not well. And it's because of one of your men."

He blinked at her. When was the last time he had talked to one of his 'men?' When was the last time he had actually given an _order?_ He knew for certain that he hadn't laid a finger on his sister's damn boyfriend. Something else bothered him, too.

"How do you know this?" Sokka asked Katara instead, suspicious. "Did you have… contact with that prince?"

He wouldn't know what he would do if she and the banished one had been talking to each other, because then… dread began to dominate his insides… she could have said anything to the enemy. After all, Sokka hadn't kept track of how much he had told the waterbender, and now he could hit himself for it. How many times did Aang tell him to be careful with his words? But these days, he had thrown caution to the winds, for the miserable excuse that Katara was his sister. He had taken her isolation for granted, and he was presently paying back.

But hopefully… the girl hadn't spoken to the firebender since she had been here. Sokka prayed for that to be true. Because if it wasn't, he would be forced to move Katara to another cell. But it wasn't just because of the technical difficulties; if Katara had talked to Zuko… had given away their secrets… it would prove that his little sister _had_ changed, that she was more dangerous that he had taken her for.

"Of course not!" Katara broke his train of thoughts by answering hastily, and Sokka could have sighed in relief. "But I know it was Zuko because I heard him last night… of course, I had no idea he was coming, but I caught a glimpse of him," she pointed at the door, which indeed had a small, barred opening.

"But it was only a glimpse, wasn't it?" Sokka pointed out, keeping his voice composed.

"Yes, it was, but Sokka, I heard him. It was definitely his voice!"

The boy sighed wearily. It was great that Katara and Zuko hadn't had contact, but did it have to come with a bad part? And it was _really_ bad that the prince had been able to sneak into the castle, and even worse, managed to escape.

"And what happened next?"

"This guy came and attacked him!" the fourteen-year-old practically shouted at him. He had to gesture for her to lower her voice, which she did, albeit reluctantly. "He must have hurt Zuko pretty badly, because he had to retreat, and you know how strong he is! And that's how… you broke your promise."

"Okay," Sokka crossed his arms. "So one of my men could've attacked Zuko without me knowing it. So what? It was his job. Besides, I only promised not to _kill_ that stupid boyfriend of yours. I don't think anyone I know would have tried to just finish him off right away."

Katara gave him a livid look, and it took all he could not to inch away from her. But when she spoke again, her tone was eerily calm:

"Do you want proof, big brother? Get out and look at the floor. You'll see proof then."

Gazing at her dubiously, Sokka nevertheless nodded and stood up. He kept an eye on her as he opened the door with his key (it was locked from both the inside and the outside), making sure it was securely closed before he finally looked down. He gasped at what he saw, his visage paling.

_Blood._

It was all dried, of course, making it almost blend with the slightly reddish hue of the rocky floor. A small, but thick trail continued on to the direction of the stairs, and biting his lip, Sokka followed it, all the while asking himself how in the hell could he have missed it. _Apparently, _a mocking voice laughed inside his head, _you're oblivious to the point of stupidity. _He had been thinking about other things when he had come here, after all –mostly of the things Aang had informed him about last night- and he had been idiotic enough to have kept his eyes looking up instead of down. Plus, the blood didn't stand out all that much in this battered hallway.

The appalling crimson liquid stopped soon enough though, and if it truly belonged to Zuko, the seventeen-year-old figured that the prince had somehow managed to stop his wound from bleeding at this point. Yet it was now apparent that his injury had been anything but trivial. Much that he hated to admit, Katara was right. The person from last night had truly wanted to hurt the firebender, and he had given his word to his sister….

_I had no idea what I was getting myself into, obviously._

When he got back into Katara's cell, the girl had her arms folded, gazing at him meaningfully.

"Okay, you were right," Sokka said, sighing. "But do you think I can just control what everyone in the castle is doing?"

"You promised, though," the sixteen-year-old pointed out, and he had to acknowledge that it was true.

Plus, so far, he had never broken his word, and although Katara wasn't necessarily an ally now… He couldn't just nullify his vow. He didn't like to think about this, but promises also meant a lot to him.

"Besides," Katara went on, "you should be able to keep track of what everyone is doing, at least more or less, Sokka. If someone is sneaking in the halls at night, looking for someone to hurt, isn't that something serious? Can't you at least try to find the person who hurt Zuko last night?"

Sokka turned away, scowling at the wall, hating how the tables had turned and how Katara was so easily making her demands. But… Zuko's attacker, he _was_ potentially dangerous, and there was no doubt that he should find out who had been secretly patrolling the third floor last night.

Remembering the blood, he told himself that he needed to clean the floor, too.

"Okay, Katara," the brother stood up. "You win. I'll try my best to find out who it was, and I'll make sure that he'll never try to harm your prince again, happy?"

The waterbender nodded in satisfaction, although she didn't know that Sokka had also decided then to look for the prince himself. The boy was about to leave when Katara called him again, and raising an eyebrow, he turned back to her.

"Yes?"

"One more thing, Sokka," the sister now looked a little apprehensive. "Can I ask you… a little favor?"

----- ----- -----

_This has to be one of the best missions ever._

This content thought entered Gloria's mind as she leisurely walked through the busy streets of the pleasant village of Kali, giggling now and then when she saw the most fascinating objects and the most astounding merchants. The village was as boisterous as it had always been, and it was a warm, fall day; the sun was shining brilliantly, the skies were of a summer hue, and it was an excellent day for shopping. Which Gloria was now doing…. as well as also looking for the banished prince, too. Of course. The woman laughed meekly to herself.

"Hey there," a handsome, young man from one of the booths motioned to her. "I bet you would look even prettier than you are now with this fabulous amethyst necklace."

The North Pole native allowed herself to glance at the exquisite jewelry before quickly walking away, afraid that she might be enticed to buy the junk. Many people here attempting to sell their things were crooks, Gloria knew, but it was still exciting looking at what they had to offer. _Besides, the scenery is lovely, too,_ she laughed to herself as she saw three five-year-olds eagerly scampering past her, their adorable facades alight with joy.

The blond had always loved Kali's hospitable-looking buildings, all with a tint of soft red that made the village appear warm no matter when. Smiling widely, she was sure Sokka wouldn't mind if she had a little fun during her mission, and if he did… Oh, well. She was older (and probably stronger) than him anyway. Still, the woman kept her eyes opened for any signs of the wanted prince, as well as other firebenders. Sokka had discovered this morning that somebody had freed the captives from the banished prince's ship, and although he was sure that most of them had already gone back to the Fire Nation, he had still wanted her to look out for them.

Firebenders running freely in the innocent village of Kali was more than an unsettling thought for Gloria. She would be glad to turn in any firebenders to the avatar, and as the morning went by, she became a little suspicious when she realized that she had seen many burly men in Earth Nation robes… who did not seem to come from anywhere near here.

It was probable that some of them were firebenders in disguise, but unless she had proof, she couldn't just arrest them, could she? Besides, her attention was supposed to be only focused on the Fire Nation prince, and she knew exactly how he looked. Too bad she had no luck finding him, and when the afternoon sun began to strike with a vengeance, she became frustrated. Even the stands couldn't brighten her mood now, although when Gloria finally took a break, she couldn't say she hadn't tried. Especially after she had snaked through the entire village, asked people if they had seen a scarred teenager, and even attempted stalking a few of the suspected firebenders. And all to no avail.

While the waterbender was resting on the bench, frowning, she saw two black figures dart away from the corner of her eyes. Startled by such an astonishing sight, she swiftly turned to look at them closer. For a moment, she managed to see two slim people clad in black before they gracefully slipped into the thicker crowds in the street, vanishing from Gloria's sight. They had been dressed like ninjas, the blond had seen, and their odd choice of attire reminded her of Asuka. _Not that _she_ would ever come here,_ Gloria pondered, smirking. The other woman absolutely despised Kali.

Finally getting up, she decided she would stop looking for the firebender for a while. At least until her spirits rose up a bit. She would probably look at the nearby shops and buy a lunch before resuming her job, and enlightened by the prospect of more shopping, she glanced at the nearest booth and let out a cry of joy. An overweight man in a turban was selling small, colorful snakes; when she approached his stand, she smiled as she saw the reptiles dance on their display table, flickering their tiny tongues every once in a while. Gloria had always liked snakes, viewing them as fascinating animals with their irregular shape and their vivid colors. Plus, ever since the war had ended, she had been considering buying a pet before she went back home. Just for the heck of it.

It was just her luck that she had presently found a snake booth, and when she asked the merchant if the reptiles were on sale, he gave her a huge smile.

"Yes, they are!" he exclaimed happily. "These are ox snakes, by the way," the woman then noticed that the animals had small, gleaming horns on each side of their heads, "and they come in all shapes and sizes. They make the perfect pets!"

"Oh, really?" Gloria asked him, interested.

"Yes, of course, they do! They're not poisonous, and they don't even bite! Harmless and adorable. Perfect for anybody!"

"And how much do they cost?"

"Five copper coins each!"

It was a good deal, the blond thought, and the snakes did look rather cute. Plus, the expression on Sokka's face when he saw the reptile in her hair would be priceless. Not only that, but the last time she had checked, she thought deviously, Misaki wasn't so fond of snakes either. She dug into her pockets and was about to hand the seller the money when another man came to the booth, his face thoughtful as he stared at the snakes.

"Hello… there," the merchant greeted the newcomer slowly, not expecting another customer so soon.

"They're poisonous, aren't they?" the man said in reply.

The vendor had a stricken expression on his face before laughing loudly.

"Of course not!" he waved the question off, as if it was an absurd concept. Gloria, however, wanted to hear more.

"How do you know?" she questioned the stranger.

He was barely taller than her, rather plump with stiff gray hair, and although he was dressed in Earth Nation robes, he looked like a foreigner.

"You see," he started, smiling contemplatively, "snakes with triangular heads are poisonous, and these snakes," he pointed, "definitely have triangular heads. Besides, their colors are too bright. It's a warning. Usually, harmless snakes have duller, less conspicuous hues because they don't want to get noticed. Yet these snakes don't care if you spot them, because they have great defenses."

The man was right. The merchant's snakes all did have triangular heads, and when she thought about it more, Gloria realized that the animals now looked rather ominous. Glowering at the seller, who presently wore a grimace, she angrily demanded:

"Is that true? Are these snakes really poisonous? And you told me they were harmless!"

Before he could reply though, the foreigner himself provided an answer:

"My dear, he was only half-lying. See, the snakes _aren't_ poisonous. They're _venomous_. A common mistake, actually," he chuckled, "and I'm afraid even I was foolish enough to confound those two words earlier."

"They're still dangerous!" Gloria seethed, staring at the merchant in fury. "It's one thing selling junk, but it's another thing entirely selling potential murders!"

To emphasize her point, the woman conjured a water whip, viciously striking the stand. It wobbled for a second before crashing loudly to the ground, and not bothering to stay any longer, Gloria stormed off. A moment later, the stranger appeared by her side, still chortling in amusement at everything that had happened.

"Thank-you for telling me they were poisonous," the waterbender told him gratefully, and the man nodded, smiling.

"You're a talented waterbender," he commented it, making her beam at him. "Tell you what," he continued, "why don't I treat you to lunch?"

"What? But… why?"

"For that greatly entertaining spectacle you showed me earlier!" the man replied wittily. Gloria laughed.

There was a small, secluded bar at the corner of the road that the blond had gone several times before; the place, unlike its surroundings, was constructed of creaking wood, painted a dreary teal blue that made it stand out a little from the rest of Kali while also camouflaging it from the viewer's eye. When she pointed the restaurant out to the foreigner, he thought it was a great idea to dine there, too.

"I'm Gloria," the waterbender told him as they entered the bar. "What's your name?"

"I-… I mean, my name is… Hiro," the stranger said slowly, and Gloria noticed that there had been some hesitation. _I wonder what that was for._

It was rather dark inside, which was a dramatic contrast to the bright day outside, yet the woman knew the bar well enough to know what to expect; dark blue walls, a few scattered wooden tables, and a small counter where the bartender could usually be seen. When she made her way to the counter, seating herself on one of the stools, a tanned, muscular man suddenly appeared in front of her.

"You want something to eat?" he asked her, grinning.

"Of course," the blond replied pleasantly. "That's why I'm here. Let's see… why don't we try some chili and a tray of sushi?"

"At your service, ma'am."

'Hiro' –she decided that was certainly not his real name- soon sat next to her, and when the bartender asked what he wanted, he distractedly told him to get him the same thing Gloria had ordered.

"I'm so hungry," the woman sighed. "You must be a really good bargainer," she then continued, looking at him admirably: "I would have never known there were such bad crooks around here."

"You have to watch out," the man told her lightly, making Gloria smile. "I usually make sure I only get the best things at the best prices. Look at this magnificent watch I got for only seven copper pieces!"

He soon drew out a small, gorgeous bracelet with an elaborate sundial hanging in the middle. The wristlet itself was made up of numerous sapphire jewels bordered with gold stringed together, and the sundial seemed to be of silver, sparkling proudly even in the darkened restaurant while its golden figures distinctly gleamed from its surface. Gloria goggled at it, entranced by its beauty. 'Hiro,' though, merely grinned.

"The silly merchant was stubbornly demanding twenty copper pieces for it," he informed her, "or two gold ones."

"I see why he wanted to charge so much, though."

"Don't be fooled, my dear," the other warned her, still smiling. "You see, the supposedly genuine sapphire stones are really just blue-tinted glass, and the sundial is cheap metal. Plus, the watch was done poorly. Too fragile. I saw this right away, and the seller in the end was kind enough to do away with this watch for only seven copper coins."

"You're amazing," Gloria said, laughing.

The bartender then returned with their food, and in a much better mood than she had been before, the woman immediately took a piece of sushi and almost swallowed it whole. She savored the sweet, uncooked fish; it reminded her so much of her home, of what she had left behind. This place did make the best seafood, and that was why the blond had so quickly chosen to come here. Besides her, 'Hiro' looked at his own plate strangely, as if not sure whether the sushi was edible or not. He hesitantly took his chopsticks… and began poking the raw fish.

"Go on," the waterbender urged him. "It's good."

He stared dubiously at his lunch for one more moment before shrugging and digging in, and Gloria was pleased when his face lit up.

"Good food," 'Hiro' stated, a note of surprise in his tone.

"Water Tribe food is always good," she said, "but the Earth Nation usually doesn't appreciate it. You… you aren't from the Earth Nation, are you?"

"Not around here anyway."

Looking at him with slight suspicion, Gloria remembered her mission and decided to question him further.

"Have you seen any firebenders nearby?"

"Uh…" 'Hiro' appeared nervous, "I don't think so. You know, I wasn't really… looking."

"They're here, though," the blond's voice became sharper, more serious. "They're disguised as ordinary Earth Nation civilians. But they still stick out."

"… Yes."

And suddenly, she gazed at him sternly and bluntly inquired:

"Are you from the Fire Nation?"

Gloria had never been one to stall. When the question came out, 'Hiro' laughed meekly and hastily replied:

"Me? From the Fire Nation? Now why would you think that…?"

Seeing that the man was obviously under pressure, she allowed a tiny smirk to appear on her face; she had this effect on people sometimes. Besides, although 'Hiro' was a great bargainer, he wasn't a good liar. However, as he smiled uneasily at her (almost backing away from her even), Gloria wondered whether she should turn him in. He was so nice, she mused, and he didn't appear harmful at all. Appearances weren't everything, though, she knew that all too well, but the man was old… he couldn't be that strong, right? Yet the concept of challenging him to a battle –especially after everything he had done for her- wasn't a welcoming thought at all, and gathering runaway firebenders… wasn't her current job anyway. She inwardly sighed in relief at that. Still… she wanted to see his reaction on a certain matter.

"I'm working for the avatar," Gloria then said evenly.

This time, 'Hiro' simply nodded calmly, chuckling even.

"I expected that," he told her. "After all, it would be rather foolish of the avatar not to recruit such a skilled waterbender."

It almost looked as if he had forgotten about their tense situation before, smiling cordially at her, but Gloria could see he was stiff, more alert than before.

"Are you on a mission?" the possible firebender asked her nonchalantly.

Should she tell him? The blond wondered that to herself, but she eventually decided that it wouldn't do any harm. The worst 'Hiro' could do was to alert the banished prince, but the latter couldn't go far, could he? Not when Sokka held his girlfriend captive.

"Yes," Gloria at last responded. "I'm looking for the Fire Nation prince, Zuko. Do you know him?"

"Ah… the banished one," 'Hiro' mused out loud. "Yes, I've heard of him. So you think he's around here. Yet why does the avatar want him now? The prince can't cause much harm, can he?"

"You're right. But I guess even the avatar would rather feel safe than sorry."

"Good point. And what do you think the prince is up to?"

"We have something he wants," Gloria said slowly. "And we're sure he's not going to leave until he has it."

"Yes, that's a powerful piece you have." 'Hiro' then looked into the distance before returning his attention to her, and when he did, his gaze was surprisingly somber. "I think that the chase for the prince will be more complicated that anyone will anticipate –you might be forced to make compromises… but even then…" the older one heaved a sigh, "nothing will be what it seems."

"Oh," she blinked at him and his startling words. "The avatar doesn't make compromises, though," she gave him a quiet, but proud smile. "After all, he didn't make any compromises when he defeated the Fire Nation, did he?"

'Hiro' could only nod at that, yet when they finished their lunch and parted their separate ways, Gloria still had his words in mind. It sounded like a twisted, almost even corny prediction, but her friend had already proved himself wise in so many occasions. Besides… she grinned as she continued her search, patrolling happily in the streets of Kali, how hard could catching a prince be?

----- ----- -----

The sun was about to set.

Besides him, Appa yawned widely in his ears, making Aang smile as he rubbed his flying bison's sides, feeling his guardian's soft fur intertwining with his fingers. He was taking Appa for his weekly walk around the castle, and he could feel the flying bison's joy as they lazily strolled forward; it had started as a daily walk a year or two ago, but when the war had become more and more heated, Aang had been forced to cancel those walks, too preoccupied in strategizing against the enemy. It was all behind him now, though, and the child was thankful for that.

Still, he pondered when Appa nudged him gently by the side, one wouldn't believe how much he had had to change the castle's ground plans in order to make Appa's weekly promenade possible. After all, the city of Omashu had never been used to huge, flying bison, and Aang had had to clear more ground for his animal guardian's living space, as well as been obliged to set up tall walls around the castle to make sure Appa wouldn't just wander off. Of course, the enormous animal could always just _fly_ away, but Aang figured that he would be too lazy to do so. Besides, Omashu castle's new walls' top priority had been to serve as extra security, because when word had gotten out that the avatar had mastered all four elements… well… Aang hadn't been exactly _safe._

The sky was becoming redder and redder by the minute, its soft clouds all tinted with a light, nice shade of either orange or violet. It had been such a warm day, but now it was cooling down, and the familiar fall breezes rustled the airbender's clothes as he turned a corner. With a swift gesture of his hands, he lifted the breeze so that it swept past Appa's face, feeling satisfied when he heard his friend's annoyed grunt in response. With another small motion, the winds rustled Appa's thick fur before Aang finally let the air go, thankful for his amusing abilities.

With Appa by his side and nothing to remind him of what he had to do, the fourteen-year-old could almost forget of the matters at hand. Almost. But Suki's urgent voice had been enough to tell him that his job sadly was long from done, and thinking about the warrior of Kyoshi, he remembered how strangely she had been treating him that day. Had she tried to be… reassuring? Why though? He recalled her face when they had conversed, seeing in his mind's eye what had been in her eyes then: pity. A frown came to his face, because he didn't want –he didn't need- people to feel sorry for him. He remembered how it had been in the beginning… after the summer's end. People had either turned away from him, seeing him as a failure, or had looked at him with those long, ugly faces that had been supposed to be appeasing… but had only reminded him of why he had failed. Pity. He didn't need that. He didn't need to know that other people looked down to him… seeing him as weak. Because he wasn't. He couldn't.

Why pity him, anyway? His nightmares were receding (he still had them occasionally, but he wasn't crying anymore), and he knew what he had to do, perfectly content… more or less. It didn't matter that Katara was here or that Sokka had reported to him that a few firebenders had been freed. While the Fire Nation soldiers would be gathered eventually, Katara… he didn't need to worry about her.

What he should be concerned about was the current state of the four nations. Yet now that he had defeated Fire Lord Ozai, it should be easy restoring the world. At least, there wouldn't be any more fighting. Perhaps his present job would not be _that_ easy, but it would simple, at least. And maybe… maybe then everything could go back to what it had been more than a century ago.

Aang then turned another corner… and stopped in his tracks. The color drained from his face. Besides him, Appa's ears perked up, because he, too, was surprised by the sight in front of him.

_How…?_

She had stopped, too, of course. Staring at him in shock, Katara took a step back, as if prepared to run away at any moment. She was really scared, he could tell, and he wasn't surprised. Their last encounter… hadn't been the best one, and thinking about it, a wave of sadness broke through his indifferent shield as he remembered… his tears, his pleas… and for a short, pathetic second, he felt like crying again. For a second.

His heart seemed to have stopped, frightened; it remembered the hurt she had so mercilessly inflicted on him two years ago. And now… she was back, and not just safe in the castle and out of his sight… but right in front of him.

_You were… you were supposed to stay in my nightmares!_

Paralyzed. Numb with pain. Just like the last time. He didn't know what to do; a part of him wanted to run away, to hide in a corner and break down. Yet… Was he really going to crumble again? Go back to his helpless twelve-year-old self, falling in front of her? Sorrow, anger, _hurt_… he felt them all, yet he was not going to give her the satisfaction. Two years were supposed to have changed him for the better, and he was determined to prove it.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked her, his voice calm but brusque.

Blinking at him almost innocently, the girl appeared to debate with herself whether to tell him the truth or not. Katara had grown taller, stronger, the avatar noticed, and he hated how her familiar cerulean eyes still held the same, warm glow… how her face was exactly how he had depicted it in his mind all this time. She would have been so much easier to handle… if she had changed. But no, she was still Katara really, even if she had turned into a traitor. She was even prettier perhaps and…

…. He was now really glad that he had at least gotten over his crush on her years ago.

"Well," she started timidly, "Sokka decided that it would be… good exercise if I went out for a short walk once in a while, and he told me I could go around the castle today."

"Where is he?" Aang inquired coolly; somehow, he sensed that it hadn't been easy for the girl to convince her brother to let her out. In any case, though, he truly needed to have a word with that second-in-command of his.

"He isn't here," the waterbender replied, and something must have shown on his façade when fear unexpectedly enveloped his insides, because she rapidly added: "But the guards are watching me," she pointed at the earthbender sentries guarding one of the smaller entrances to the castle; indeed, at least one of them was staring at her suspiciously, "and besides, it's not as if I can climb those walls."

"Yet you could probably find another way to get through them," Aang remarked tranquilly. "After all, how else did you get inside the castle in the first place?"

Katara looked guilty for a moment, shrugging, but then, she gave him a small smile.

"I see you like to take walks, too," she commented quietly. "You have Appa with you, too. How is he?"

As if in response, the flying bison let out a loud, low-pitched sound. Aang suspected that his animal guardian was actually glad to see her. He had no idea whether Appa even knew about what she had done to them… to him. Katara's smile widened at his animal guardian's warm greeting, and the young monk felt his heart tighten as a childish thought came to his mind: _I wish… I wish I could be glad to see her. _That was stupid of him, though. He shouldn't wish for these things.

"It's such a nice day, isn't it?" the girl continued, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze blew past her face.

"Yes, it's a nice day," Aang agreed, sighing softy.

Perhaps sensing his sudden melancholy, Appa then rubbed his mammoth head against him. He grinned a little as he patted the bison's side.

"Look," Katara said a minute later, pointing, "the sun is about to set."

Aang turned to the west, and sure enough, the sun was beginning to disappear into the horizon, its hue a bright, deep crimson now. The skies were a dark, warm magenta, while the clouds had practically all vanished. Dipping lower and lower, the huge star sank, whilst the autumn winds suddenly blew harder, as if warning him about the chilly night that was about to come. When the sun touched the ground, an explosion of red melted into everything his gray eyes could reach, turning the landscape into a warm, scarlet painting.

The airbender was feeling uplifted, though his spirits stayed poignant and down. Appa's eyes were fixed on the sunset, too, and he let out a small rumble every few minutes, clearly enjoying the beautiful, rare sight. Katara, meanwhile, was smiling softly as she gazed at the vanishing sun. When it was halfway down, she closed her eyes, humming a quiet, but joyful tune that blended with the voice of the skies above.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed, "… everything. It makes me remember…"

Aang blinked at her, confused before he also remembered: the times they had been on Appa's back, quietly watching the sun rest together… happy. He reminisced about those moments, recalling their own bright, melancholy hues, and when he looked back to the present sun, which was almost gone, he realized he had never seen one that had been so drastic –so intense- as the one he was witnessing now. Looking back at those memories was a weight bringing him down, yet it made him happy somehow, someway… Because gazing at a smiling Katara, he could sink into blissful ignorance. He could forget, thinking instead that it was just like it had been before, when they had quietly watched sunsets together while Sokka had slept away, unaware.

But once the darkness came, so did his common sense, and he knew he had to get everything back together. These slip-ups… could happen only so often.

"I have to go inside," Katara told him, and he nodded, as if uninterested.

The girl gradually disappeared from his view as the stars one by one flickered to life in the ebony sky. Sighing, he sat down and thought about what had happened. There was sadness within him… he could feel it vibrate in every part of his body… but he also felt contented. A strange sort of joy, tinted with the dark azure shade of sorrow, and mixed together, he had this strange, calm feeling, making him feel more at ease than he had felt before.

The night above… it was just like him, he mused, leaning on Appa's leg. There would always be more sadness in him, yet tonight, a bodiless happiness sparkled on, perhaps merely a few bright dots in the unending black void, but radiant enough… to make a difference. Closing his eyes, the avatar stayed outside amidst the dark for a long time, and it was only later did he learn that he had been warm, then.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N:** Just made the deadline. (sighs in relief) This chapter wasn't too bad when it came to editing, although I might have rushed it… I hope this chapter didn't have too many mistakes. Anyway, I have finally posted the tenth chapter of this fanfiction! Hourrah. Okay, technically, this is only the ninth chapter (you know, with the prologue…) but if I post another chapter next weekend, Hardened Winds will have more chapters than my last multi-chapter story! An exciting thought, isn't it? And the fanfiction is still long from done.

…Which I'm not sure is a good thing, now that I have school and all. I'm so busy these days; it's almost a miracle that I'm able to get this chapter done today. Hopefully, I'll still be able to post at a consistent rate, although instead of every Friday, I'll get a new chapter out every _weekend_. Hopefully, that won't make much of a difference to you guys.

What more? Oh, yeah… Sokka and Katara's relationship. But before I go into this, I'm going to give you a useless fact; behind me, my sister is watching ATLA, and I'm smiling now, because Aang just said, "My friends need to suck on those frogs!" Hehe. (readers roll eyes) Back to the serious topic; I think I might have made Sokka too soft on Katara (I keep repeating this, don't I?), but… sometimes people don't act on logic when it concerns people they love. I know I don't. (meek laugh) Besides, I can assure you that it wasn't that easy for the waterbender to convince him to let her out.

Ten reviews last chapter. Very happy about it. I'll be even happier if I can somehow grab more than ten reviews for this chapter, although I really doubt that. On to reviewer responses:

Dracori: If you ever decide to read on this far, I hope you catch this note. I'm happy you took the time to read this story, even if the parody-esque quality of it might insult you, you being a Zutara fan and all. Thank-you for your review and your insights, and I agree…. Unoriginal stories _can_ be good stories, but I prefer originals, usually. Much more refreshing.

SapphireStars: Yes, you're probably right, and I hope you'll tell me whether you liked this chapter.

MysticWaterBender3: Look at me! I'm still writing! Don't worry; it'll take a lot for me to abandon this story. Anyway, I'm glad you think this story is exciting, and I can't believe _my_ simple words can make your heart go that fast! It makes me feel so accomplished. I'm also happy that you can look forward to something (even more, my story!) when you have school to worry about.

blackrosebunny: Thanks for the enthusiastic review! I'm glad you feel for Aang!

_Aang's biggest fan_: Dark Aang is fun, isn't he? And you think I got Sokka right? Thank-you.

_whirleeq_: Thank-you for the long, detailed review, and I'm glad you liked the fight scene and the dialogs between Katara-Zuko and Sokka-Katara. And I have an explanation for why Zuko was confident that his conversation with Katara would not be overheard. You see, most people don't _know_ that Katara betrayed Aang so badly. They just see her as a simple, harmless traitor waterbender. So for her, status isn't a big thing. Besides, her intimidate relationship with Zuko is also a well-kept secret that only a few know.

aangsair: You liked the fight scene! Great, although I hope I can improve my fight scenes in the near future. I'm sorry, by the way, that this chapter is a little late, but at least I'm updating, right? Can't wait to hear from you!

tigerchic121: Hopefully, this chapter satisfied you, because Aang and Katara finally got to meet. As if I could delay the event any further; everyone was anticipating it since the very beginning! It makes me happy that you like how I lightly make fun of the usual Zutara story, and you like my dark, powerful Aang? I feel so flattered.

TempestJLU: Thank-you, and this chapter just answered your question.

Gmasangel: A new reviewer! YES! Thank-you for everything you said, and you'll know the attacker's identity eventually, although I'm sure the answer will become obvious to you once you think about it.

This is the first time ever that I've been able to update right after school begins. Usually, the moment I enter that dreary building is the moment all inspiration is dead. But I survived this time! Next chapter shall be posted next weekend (I pray), but please don't feel too sad if you have to wait two weeks instead… I'm trying my best for you guys!

Review if you're nice.


	11. Changes

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter X_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sokka had other things in his mind, she could tell.

Because when Gloria dutifully informed him that she had failed to sight the Fire Nation prince, he showed almost no disappointment. And she knew how hard it was for the second-in-command to control his emotions. They were in Sokka's bedroom, and the seventeen-year-old was now looking out the window, a faraway look on his face as a silence descended upon them. The waterbender, sitting on the boy's bed, distractedly caressed the soft fabric of the cover and waited for his reaction. At last, Sokka turned to her, an oddly serene expression on his face.

"I figured you probably couldn't find him on the first try," he said quietly.

"What are you saying?" Gloria feigned a resentful glare. "That I wasn't good enough for the job?"

The teenager pulled a grimace before chuckling.

"No, no," he reassured her, "it's just that… even for a harbor village, Kali is rather big, and who knows? Maybe Zuko isn't hiding there anyway."

"I could've sworn I saw firebenders yesterday, though. And I believe I even talked to one, although he was nice."

"You… talked to one?"

The woman seemed to have finally captured Sokka's attention, because this time he fully turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe I'm wrong," Gloria amended, lying down on his bed as if it was her own, "but… he didn't look too comfortable when I started talking about Fire Nation soldiers in the village."

"Who wouldn't be?" the adolescent inquired mildly, and she shrugged.

"He was an old man," she continued, thoughtful, "a little on the heavier side, but sure nice and wise. He didn't say he was a firebender."

"What… you _asked?"_ Sokka was presently goggling at her. The blond couldn't help but give him a smug smile.

"Yup. But he really looked at if he was lying. He didn't look like a firebender, though… not vicious or mean."

The second-in-command frowned at that, becoming quiet for several minutes. Many times, he nodded or shook his head to himself, and Gloria wondered with interest what complex musings were circling around the boy's mind. Although Sokka sure didn't look like it, he could go rather deep in thought… when he tried hard enough. After a while, he sighed, redirecting his attention to Gloria.

"That's it then?" he asked, and when she nodded, he continued: "I don't think we should give up on the prince. He's a rather important catch. Instead… I want you to try to find him again soon, but this time, get a few more people with you. People you can really trust, though," Sokka warned her. "Like…" he pondered for a moment, "why don't you bring Misaki? I bet he'll love to hunt him down."

The seventeen-year-old grinned, and the blond returned his smile. She had been thinking the exact same thing.

"You'll need to bring at least one more person, too," Sokka then said.

"Maya?" Gloria suggested, but the other had someone else in mind.

"Asuka," he told her. "You should probably get Asuka. Much that we both hate her ego, she _does_ have the brains, and she probably can think like Zuko, too," Sokka smirked. "Try to get her into the team, okay?"

The waterbender sighed reluctantly before nodding again. The ninja-like woman was not her favorite person, and the boy apparently knew this, too, because he flashed her a grateful smile before dismissing her. As she stepped out of Sokka's room, Gloria decided she might as well try to recruit the volatile former pirate and the haughty woman now; after all, she did have time, and the sooner the better, right?

After a few flight of stairs and several turns, she reached the door of a small chamber on the fourth floor. People rarely used the room… except Misaki. The blond knew that he often came here to practice with his blades, and hadn't he tried to convince the avatar to just give him the chamber a while back? She had forgotten what the young monk had said concerning the matter, but for sure, Misaki did not get his training room for himself in the end.

Thinking about the avatar and what had happened about a week ago, Gloria felt a rush of embarrassment. When she looked back to what she had done, she knew that it had been an irrational act of hers. After all, she had just _assumed_ that the avatar had been dejected, although in reality, he could have just been tired. Besides, even if she had been right… she shouldn't have hugged him. It hadn't been in her place. If someone could give the child comfort, it should be someone the avatar had known long enough to be completely comfortable with. And Gloria did not have the pleasure to be that someone.

Now that she thought about it… _Who_ did qualify as a true friend of the avatar's? It was no question that Sokka was definitely close to the airbender, but imagining the gruff adolescent giving the younger boy a hug… she couldn't see him do it. But there definitely was someone else who the fourteen-year-old could rely on… right? He couldn't be _that_ alone?

The waterbender shouldn't pry into the affairs of others, especially not the avatar. She sighed when she realized this but quickly shook the feeling off. There was the current mission at hand. And pushing all thoughts concerning the airbender to the furthest depths of her mind, she put her ear to the door to make sure someone was inside. When she heard movement and a few soft grunts, she knew that the chamber was occupied. She tried knocking the door, but when the sixteen-year-old refused to answer it, she scowled and wrenched the door open…

… Only to have a sharpened blade pointed at her nose a nanosecond later.

"I didn't know you were trying to _murder_ me," Gloria snarled at the astonished boy in front of her, who quickly withdrew his weapon and muttered an apology.

Sweating profusely, Misaki had both his metal blades in his hands, his bangs covering half his face while he breathed heavily, obviously affected by his intense training. He was certainly dressed for it; his black sleeveless shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a bare, heaving chest, and he had his pirates' trousers on. Apparently, those pants had several secret compartments perfect for hiding secret arms and tricks, as Misaki had bragged to her long ago, and although they looked baggy, they would certainly not affect his fighting negatively.

Not that Gloria believed anything about the superiority of his almighty _pants_.

"What are you doing here?" the sixteen-year-old then questioned bluntly, and the older one raised an eyebrow.

"I see you've been practicing well," she commented smoothly, gazing at the hard earth walls of the room, which were currently rather scarred by Misaki's blades.

"An earthbender can fix them," Misaki retorted casually, throwing his blades aside and sitting down cross-legged. "So how can I be of service to you?"

"You find a new way to make me laugh," Gloria rolled her eyes, chuckling at his formality. "Anyway, Sokka wants me to organize his hunt party for a certain hotheaded prince. You want to join the party?"

"You're going to look for that firebender?" the boy inquired in a more serious tone, obviously astonished. "Does the avatar know of this?"

"Not that I know of. Sokka probably told him, though. You want to check?"

"No thanks. But why…" Misaki began, even a little hesitant, "why would Sokka want to capture the prince?"

"Who knows?" Gloria shrugged. "But it _is_ the prince; if there's anyone who can stand in the way of the avatar, it's him. Anyway, what's your answer?"

The former pirate stared at her for a while.

"Sure… I guess," he finally accepted. "But when will we search for him?"

"Why not today? I was thinking of getting Asuka to join us, too, and then after we eat lunch, we'll head down to Kali."

"Not today," Misaki suddenly said. Surprised at his sharp tone, Gloria raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean… I'm busy," the sixteen-year-old continued more calmly, "maybe another time?"

"And how exactly are you busy today?" the blond asked him skeptically. "Is it your training? Because if it is, you can do that anytime, Misaki. It's serving the avatar that's important."

"I know," the boy sighed. "But… there's something… I have to deal with today." He then attempted a half-smile. "Tomorrow, though. Will that be okay?"

She crossed her arms and stared meaningfully at the adolescent, but in the end, she gave in reluctantly. As she was preparing to leave, Misaki called to her once again.

"I don't think…" he told her uncertainly, "I don't think Asuka can help you today, either."

Gloria sighed but didn't say anything, merely nodding at him. However, when she glanced at the sixteen-year-old one last time before closing the door, she saw something new. There, near Misaki's shoulder, was something that looked like a burn. It covered a small area near the armhole of his shirt, and she had glimpsed at it for such a short second that it could have simply been her imaginations. But if the boy really did get burned… the injury was rather nasty. A cruel brown that made it evident that the skin had been sizzled –_killed_- in a very painful way. Yet how on earth… could Misaki have gone the wound? He couldn't have been preparing a fire, because it was still warm autumn outside. The only other reasonable explanation was…

But it couldn't be. Why would the boy look for a fight with the enemy when it didn't matter anymore?

He was right on one thing, however. Asuka candidly refused to accompany the waterbender to Kali today, and when Gloria asked her if she would at least join the hunt party, she implied that she had much better things to do that waste her time searching for a potentially dangerous prince. Of course, when she was done with Asuka, it was safe to say that the blond was not in her best moods. Both Misaki and Asuka had basically turned her down. Asuka, she could definitely understand… but Misaki? When had been the last time he refused anything for her? Sure, he would almost always deny her request at first, yet in the end, he always gave in, if not with much complaint. Gloria could swear that this was the first time he so quickly declined, even keeping his word this time…. and for what exactly?

In the end, the woman decided to seek Maya for company, and before the day was done, she had forgotten about the former pirate's strange behavior.

----- ----- -----

Tugging at his Earth Nation robe's sleeve in irritation, the wanted Fire Nation prince swiftly entered one of Kali's bars, the same one that Gloria and 'Hiro' had gone to just the other day. Immediately hating how dark the place was, he nevertheless gingerly made his way to the counter, where a dark-skinned man was working.

"Excuse me?" the eighteen-year-old tried to sound as courteous as possible. "Have you seen a man named Iroh lately?"

As soon as the words slipped out, Zuko knew he had made a mistake. The bartender frowned and peered at him suspiciously.

"You mean… retired general Iroh? The Dragon of the West? The brother of the fallen Fire Lord?"

Apparently, the man had done his homework. Zuko gritted his teeth but attempted to remain calm, looking at the bartender right in the eye.

"No, of course not him," he said in the most pleasant tone he could muster, "I mean… another man named Iroh."

"Ah," the other relaxed significantly. "I would hate to know that such a dangerous firebender sneaked right under my nose. But another man named Iroh? Nope, never seen him, never heard of him."

The banished one sighed and looked down. Where _was_ his uncle? He had searched Kali for hours, yet he still hadn't found a trace of Uncle Iroh. He had even bumped into a few of his crew members earlier, but when he had asked them about the whereabouts of the retired general, none of them had had a clue. Where could his uncle be? If Zuko found out that Iroh had disappeared on him simply for the sake of shopping ("Nephew! I found this wonderful village with great bargains a few miles away and I just couldn't resist!"), he would certainly give the old man a lesson.

On the other hand, perhaps Uncle had come here but had simply not given his name to the bartender, which would have been a wise decision, Zuko suddenly realized. He turned to the tanned man and decided another approach.

"He's old," the adolescent began describing Iroh, "and he's short. Easy-going… does that ring a bell?"

"As a matter of fact," the bartender raised his hand to his chin, "it does. Just yesterday, and old man and a blond came to my bar, and the guy was old. And short. But if I remember correctly…. Wasn't his name Hiro?"

_Hiro. _Zuko couldn't help but smirk at that ridiculous name, right at the moment the door to the bar opened to reveal Uncle Iroh himself, smiling widely as he instantly turned to the bartender:

"Garu! I would very much like another helping of sushi for today please!"

Typical, the boy mused, looking at the older firebender in surprise and annoyance. He should have just expected his uncle to walk in when he least expected it. Garu (that was obviously the name of the man he had been talking to) grinned back at Iroh before promptly disappearing to the back of the bar to serve the retired general's orders. And it was only when his uncle took a seat did he discover that the prince had been in the restaurant all this time.

"Zuko! I didn't know you were here!" he exclaimed cheerfully, turning to his nephew.

"Obviously," the prince said flatly. "Uncle, where have you been?"

"Just around here, of course."

_Of course,_ that wasn't true, as Zuko truly wanted to point out, yet he knew that it would be useless having an argument with the man over nothing. Instead, he sighed and decided to change the topic:

"Learned anything interesting?"

"Yes," the other firebender told him solemnly. "I learned that there are some very bad people here who try to sell venomous snakes to innocent people."

Zuko glowered at the man.

"I mean… about the avatar!" he hissed.

"Ah, yes –the _avatar,_" Uncle Iroh repeated, sighing. "And I did learn something about him and his forces." He turned to stare meaningfully at his nephew. "Prince Zuko, you are a wanted man."

"I've been expecting that," the eighteen-year-old said quietly. "But how do you know this?"

"I had a very pleasant lunch with one of the avatar's warriors yesterday. Her name is Gloria by the way, and she's a very good waterbender…" Yet when the retired general saw Zuko's scowl (the boy remembered exactly who the blond was), he hastily went on: "She's looking for you, Zuko. And although she stopped her search yesterday, it won't be for long. My guess is that she's going to get other people to join her in the hunt."

"She won't find me," the banished one retorted confidently. "No matter how many people she has."

"Don't underestimate your enemies," Uncle Iroh sighed, but he didn't continue further. Instead he asked: "What are you planning to do, nephew?"

"Simple, uncle. I'm going to rescue Katara. Then we'll be out of here and we can turn to more important things, such as restoring the Fire Nation. I'm probably going back to the castle tomorrow."

"Nothing has changed then?"

"Nothing."

Just then, Garu returned to the counter carrying a metal tray of fresh sushi, and Iroh thanked the bartender before enthusiastically beginning his lunch.

"You want some?" the older firebender gestured to the raw fish, and Zuko pulled a disgusted face before vigorously shaking his head.

There was silence for a long time as the uncle chewed contently on his lunch while the nephew was submerged in his thoughts. At last, though, when Iroh's platter was half-empty, he turned back to Zuko, suddenly rather somber.

"You know," he began, "I've been wondering. What exactly are you going to do once you're back home, Prince Zuko?"

"I'm going to help my people," the teenager answered automatically. "I'm going to help rebuild the cities the avatar destroyed, as well as fix any other damage that has been done to my nation."

"Very good," Iroh nodded with approval. "But when that's done… what are you going to do?"

Zuko looked at his uncle in confusion and the man continued:

"It's good that you're thinking about helping your people, but you're not seeing the whole picture. What are you going to do with the Fire Empire? Are you going to follow your father's footsteps… and try to conquer the avatar?"

"Can I do that?" the younger one looked at Iroh, bemused. "I thought… I wasn't welcome among my people. I was planning to be more subtle when I come back home."

"No, Prince Zuko," the retired general told him gravely. "You will see that your popularity has been restored the moment Ozai was captured. Your nation relies on you –the Fire Empire's sole heir- to make everything better. So you can definitely count on a warm welcome. But the question is… are you going to take your father's place as Fire Lord? Are you going to look… to challenge the avatar?"

Frowning, the banished one looked into the distance, and when he spoke up again, his tone was tranquil and thoughtful:

"Now that I have this new option, uncle, I think…. I believe I am going to follow in my father's footsteps. I won't be a fool like he was," he managed a half-smile and Uncle Iroh returned it, "but I'm eventually going to rule over my people like I was supposed to."

"Are you going to try to rule over the other nations? To challenge the avatar?"

"Yes. Yes, I will. And I won't underestimate my enemies like my father has done. I'm going to win."

Iroh gazed at him calmly, and Zuko returned his solemn stare. His decisions, his destiny… it had always been up to his people… and his family. The Fire Nation now expected him to rise up –to be their hero. And his family…. he remembered his grandfather, his father… they expected him to rule, to dominate the others… to finish what they had done. He could never turn his back to his country, and as he looked at his hand, at the veins carrying the blood that had flowed in the body of his dead ancestors, he was destined since birth to fulfill what his kin had started. Although he had been banished, stripped of his title, the prince was presently beginning to think that his exile hadn't been as horrid as he had thought. It was because of his banishment that he had learned so much, that he had been able to see his father's mistakes from outside the protected walls of his home… And he knew he wouldn't repeat them as he probably would have done if he had remained the naïve and faithful son of the Fire Lord.

"And what if," his uncle spoke again, breaking Zuko's train of thoughts, "what if you fail? Not that I'm saying you will," he smiled meekly when the other gave him a death glare, "but if you fall like your father has done, what will happen to the Fire Nation? It will be as it is now, confused and in pieces… even worse, probably. Because it's a fact that the more times a nation loses, the worst its loss will be. Always."

"I won't lose," Zuko repeated, but his tone became unsure.

"Maybe you won't, but your successor perhaps will. Or else it will be his successor. And so on. Because the avatar," Iroh looked at him gravely, "can never be stifled out. Yes, the airbenders are almost all gone," he told him when he saw the eighteen-year-old open his mouth, "but the present avatar will be able to produce an airbender heir, I'm sure of it. If you manage to restore our country, one day the future avatar will do what has been done a few weeks ago and overthrow the Fire Nation once more. And I doubt our empire can take over the whole world now, when the avatar is alive and all-powerful."

The prince clenched his fist and looked at his uncle furiously, but the old man just coolly returned his gaze. He hated how right the older one's words seemed to be. But he would change all that; he was sure of it.

"It's going to be a cycle of futile attempts and total destruction," Iroh informed him. "At least if you are going to want to become Fire Lord. Who knows, though?" he shrugged. "Maybe you really will do something that'll change it all. But don't count on it."

"I don't want it to be a cycle," Zuko whispered, and he looked down, frowning. "I just want to do what my people want me to do. And they want… to be supreme."

"They want to be _happy,_" his uncle corrected him quietly. "And it's your call how you're going to provide happiness to your nation."

The young firebender thought that the old man was just repeating what he had said, and recalling his uncle's sober words, the path that had been so straightforward to him before became twisted. How could serving his people suddenly become so hard? So confusing even that he had to question himself? Sighing, Zuko closed his eyes. For now, he wouldn't think too much into this, no matter how much knew he should. He would focus on rescuing Katara… because that –at least- was simple and easy.

----- ----- -----

It was so nice to be outside, to be free from her tiny cell for once.

Katara smiled to herself as she walked leisurely around the castle, enjoying the cool, fresh air and the warm sun shining from below. It was the second time she had been outside since she had been made prisoner here, and she was determined to make the most the most of this new, limited freedom. It had been difficult convincing Sokka to let her out, the girl mused, chuckling, but he had owed her, hadn't he? After all, he had almost broken a promise to her, and although her brother was trying to appear unfazed by what had happened, she knew that he had been affected. And it made her feel happy (perhaps even warm and loved) when she knew that he was trying to make sure it wouldn't happen again… even if they weren't exactly brother and sister anymore.

The ground was dry and even cracked slightly when she took a step, and it was sad to think that there was no foliage around. Sometimes the city of Omashu seemed arid and tasteless to her, making her wonder how its people could stand seeing the same, boring scenery everyday. The waterbender knew Aang would hate it after the first week… at least, he would _have_ hated it before. Now, it didn't seem he cared much about these things at all, and after the encounter with him two days ago…

_He's changed. So much._

It was an abrupt transformation from the scared twelve-year-old who had cried and pleaded to her when she had done the necessary, and her actions then… They were beginning to make her feel more horrible than before, transforming into this new sensation that resembled so much like a demonic snake slithering inside her, biting and hissing and determined to make as much damage as possible. But it had been what she had been supposed to do, was it not? And it couldn't have _only_ been because of her… that the young monk had turned into a cool, indifferent teen, right?

Because then… then she would know that somewhere along the way, she had made a huge mistake. Somewhere along the way, she had so cruelly erased Aang's childish smile without knowing it… but that was the thing. She couldn't have done so without being aware of it, could she? No, it was impossible. She would have felt the change, and then… she would have tried to fix it.

His eyes. Gray and wintry. His tone. Controlled and poignant… even. Katara was so focused on what she had seen the other day that when she turned the corner, she almost didn't notice the sight in front of her. Almost. But when she did, she blinked in astonishment and couldn't help but smiling. It was Appa, and he was standing right besides the castle wall; she could tell that he was agitated because of his swishing tail and occasional irked grunt. _What is he doing here?_ Yet the girl found out a second later when she saw a tall stool and two enormous buckets of water, as well as a set of different-sized brushes. The giant bison was waiting for someone to wash him, but whoever had that duty had obviously forgotten all about the cute, fluffy beast.

When Appa saw Katara, he let out a low sound (she could only guess that he was glad to see her), and she laughed as she made her way to him and patted his side.

"Aw, poor you," she whispered softly, smiling, "you were left all alone. Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

The flying bison nudged her affectionately with his head, and giggling, the sixteen-year-old took one of the bigger brushes, dipped it into the water, and began vigorously scrubbing Appa, chuckling when the animal shook his head or grunted in pleasure. She went through the thickest area of fur first, taking on the harder obstacles before lazily washing his feet and face. She used the stool and discovered that it was extremely hard reaching his back, yet she was determined to get the job done. Soon she got the hang of it, combing the fur while her thoughts eventually drifted elsewhere.

That day when she had seen Aang. She cringed when she thought about what she had said to try to make conversation, because she had only uttered the wrong things, hadn't she? She had tried to be polite but warm, but in the end, it probably looked to Aang as if she had been rude and obnoxious, talking to him as if nothing had happened. Katara sighed and buried her head in Appa's dry fur, pondering over the smart things she could have told the avatar. But there wasn't really much to say after what had happened, right? _I should have just kept my mouth shut._

At that moment, she heard footsteps, and when she turned to look at the newcomer, she froze when she realized who it was. Appa, not sensing the tension, nodded his head and let out a soft sound of greeting. Katara, though, now realized that she shouldn't have been washing the flying bison. It hadn't been her job and… for the first time the terrible thought struck her… she was probably going to get in trouble for it. She swiftly jumped off the stool.

Meanwhile, Aang was looking at her rather strangely, and she couldn't name the emotion that dominated his visage (was it surprise? Annoyance? Even… anger?) before it was quickly wiped away to be replaced by his usual calm expression. Slowly, he made his way towards her, and when they were merely a foot or two apart, he tilted his head to the side and asked the expected question:

"What are you doing here?"

"Um…" Katara smiled meekly, "I was… washing Appa because… uh… nobody was here and I thought it would be a nice thing to do."

"How thoughtful," the avatar remarked quietly, rubbing his animal guardian's sides.

"Well, I'll be going now since you're here," the waterbender then said, nervous and eager to get away before she discovered how Aang felt about what she had done.

She straightened her back and began walking away from the avatar and his flying bison, but she only took a few steps before Aang called to her.

"Wait."

She stopped in her tracks, and after a moment of hesitation, she turned around. The fourteen-year-old stared at her, clearly bewildered for a second, before he frowned and shook his head. Though why should he be astonished by his own words, Katara wondered? Unless… it had just slipped from his mouth, that one syllable that he had not meant to say. She looked at him quizzically, and after a moment, he sighed.

"You can clean Appa if you want to," Aang told her quietly. Katara blinked at him, giving him a shy smile and slowly retracing her steps.

In a moment, she had a brush in her hands and had quickly climbed onto the stool, ready to finish her work on Appa's back. Aang had already taken a smaller brush and had begun combing Appa's side, and for a long while, they worked in silence. It required a lot of concentration for the waterbender to clean the flying bison's back, yet somehow, she always managed to glance at the young monk every now and then, only to see his tranquil gray eyes focused on Appa as he calmly brushed him. The animal guardian nudged the fourteen-year-old occasionally, perhaps even trying to produce a smile from the avatar, but it never worked; Aang merely stroked the animal's sides and murmured a few words before resuming his work.

Katara knew it was because of her that he wasn't smiling. She could see his shoulders were tense, and maybe he wished she would just go away. But then… why did he tell her to stay? Why did he call back to her… just then?

"How long does it usually take to clean Appa?" the girl then asked, adopting a light, nonchalant tone.

"A few hours," Aang replied.

"Do you do this by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't it… get lonely?" Katara tentatively questioned, and she suddenly felt sad; was the airbender often alone like this? Was this why… he was so distant?

"I have Appa," Aang said, closing his eyes. "I think that's enough."

That was when the girl also remembered the other pet Aang used to have. Glimpsing uncertainly at him, she paused for a moment before inquiring:

"What about Momo? What happened… to him?"

At that, the avatar finally sighed and looked at her, and whether she was imagining it or not, Katara thought she saw a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

"He's gone," Aang informed her, his voice almost a whisper. "After… what happened… he didn't stay with me for long. He went to Sokka after a while, but then it seemed he couldn't stand your brother either… so about a year ago, he just escaped the castle. I haven't seen him since."

"That's sad," Katara said softly. "I wonder why he did that."

"Oh, it's no question why," the other replied, slight bitterness in his tone now. "I… stopped playing with him when Sokka and I began forming the Resistance, and I guess… I'm not so much myself anymore… and Momo apparently didn't like that. He liked someone else," he sighed, "and when that someone disappeared, there was no reason for him to stay, was there?"

The sixteen-year-old heard Aang drop his brush, and when she looked at him, he had his head buried in Appa's fur, his eyes glazed, evidently reminiscing about what had happened. So he _had_ noticed his transformation, Katara pondered, although she doubted that he fully knew how much he had changed. Everyone had realized what had come over him, even Momo, and thinking about the winged lemur, she felt a surge of anger overcome her. He had simply left the avatar when he had learned that the monk had stopped being the former child he had learned to love… not even bothering to look back or try to comfort him. She wasn't much better, though. That was why the least she could do was try to cheer Aang up.

"I'm sure he's still around," she then said, smiling at him. "All you have to do is lighten up –just a bit- and he'll probably return. I mean… deep down, you're still the same, right?"

The young airbender's head abruptly shot up. He looked at her with the same odd expression as before, and Katara immediately realized that –once again- she had said the wrong thing. She had no right telling the airbender what to do, especially after what _she_ had done to him… It was most likely because of her that he was melancholy almost all the time now. She turned her head away from him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, scrubbing Appa's back as vigorously as she could.

A long silence followed, and she was afraid she had truly angered Aang with what she had said before. It didn't look as if he would ever answer, and soon, she just gave up on the possibility and returned her full attention on cleaning Appa, at least until the avatar spoke up again:

"It's okay," he told her quietly.

Surprised, Katara turned to stare at him. Their eyes locked for a second before the boy turned away. Blinking in surprise, a smile gradually appeared on the girl's face, although she didn't know why she was happy, all of a sudden…

"Lightening up… I guess it's harder than it sounds, isn't it?" she then mused out loud. Aang said nothing, yet she knew that he was listening attentively. "Especially… if something really bad happened to you." Now, she could feel guilt writhing inside her, as well as the heavy feeling of sorrow she had so far managed to stifle. However, she persisted to continue: "Sometimes you need a lot of time alone to heal… and sometimes… it's better if you have people to be with you, people whom you can trust to make you feel better. You don't… have to be alone all the time."

It could have been the wind, but as it reached Katara's ears, she knew it was probably his sigh. A few minutes later, she was completely done scrubbing Appa's back, and she jumped off the stool, expecting to see him besides her. To her astonishment, however, Aang had been on the other side, and she felt as awkward as ever as she went to him while he was inspecting his animal guardian.

"I think we're done," the avatar said after a while, his voice telling her that he was a little bemused. "I thought it would take much longer."

"Well, we did work together, didn't we?" the waterbender pointed out, grinning slightly.

"Just one more touch," he then told her. "Step back."

Startled, Katara complied. Aang closed his eyes and frowned for a moment, his hands now clasped together, before he abruptly flung his arms to the side. A second later, a gush of wind encircled Appa, and when it dissipated, the girl saw that the flying bison was presently totally dry.

"Nice trick," she noted, and the airbender nodded distractedly; she could see that he was already beginning to lead Appa away from her.

Apparently, he still did not want to be in her company for long; the thought made her sigh. She was disappointed despite herself, even though he had bothered to at least listen to her, and as she headed back to the castle, she wondered whether she would see the avatar again. _Next time, I'll be better._ Because somehow, it was important for her to make him listen to her. To make him look at her. Although that was next to impossible.

She soon saw the small castle door from which she had come from, and she had just quickened her steps when all of a sudden, a hard hand clamped over her mouth.

She couldn't move anymore.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Surprise! I'm not dead. (waves happily) I am so sorry that I didn't post a chapter last week, but these days, I was so busy, and if I just posted a chapter without revising it… I doubt it would be any good at all. So thank-you to all the readers who have been patiently waiting (or not) for this chapter, and I hope this part wasn't too bad, although I did edit it a little too fast. What can I say? Do you want an okay chapter this week or a superb chapter perhaps never? I know the beginning was a little boring, but there was a cliffhanger at the end at least, right? Although the last time I checked, people didn't like cliffhangers too much. Ahahahaha… (slinks away)

Oh, yeah. A few people deleted this story from their favorites after the last chapter got posted, and that made me sad, although I have a good idea why. I bet those people were strict Zutara shippers, and they couldn't stand the slight, _slight_ AK fluff in the last chapter. And all I can say to that is: My God, are you guys close-minded and dense. I didn't make the two do anything extreme like _kiss_, and you already abandon my story. Very high tolerance there, hm?

Anyway, the new season of ATLA has at last began. Most of you already watched the new episode, I suppose. What did you think of Episode 14? Personally, I think it concentrated a little too much on love (yes, I'm a love cynic here), and although it's cute how Aang has a crush on Katara, I really don't think ATLA should focus on love. After all, there is the main picture out there, with the avatar destined to defeat Lord Ozai and all…. Just my opinion. And I can just imagine the reactions of the Zutara shippers (laughs). Don't worry; the 'powerful bender' can still be Zuko, although Aang does deserve a chance, doesn't he? He just isn't the little, immature twelve-year-old that most Zutara people think he is. Go Aang!

I got so many reviews for the last chapter. I am so thankful that I have eighty reviews now.

MysticWaterBender3: Yeah, I guess I did make Sokka a little too soft when he allowed Katara to go outside, but as you said, the story needs to move on! Thanks for your loyal reviews!

TempestJLU: Thank-you for loving my story and here is the long awaited update!

_Aang's biggest fan_: Thank-you for reviewing two times (I'm happy I made a good summary for this fanfiction; the previous one was starting to get to me), and you like my descriptions? Gracias!

Aangsair: How do I do it, you ask? I'm glad you know that updating in autumn (when school just starts) is no little feat. Let's just say… I have the will and inspiration? And don't worry; I'm sure you'll become inspired to continue Love Lasts soon, too. Sorry, I didn't read Chapter 7 for your fanfiction yet, but I'll still try. And thank-you for your fantastic review!

_SapphireStars_: Yup. Iroh isn't too imaginative, is he?

_tigerchic121_: Thank-you!

Aangsgal: Nope, not even near to the end. And I'm so ecstatic that you consider this humble fanfiction the best story you ever read. Although I doubt it will remain for long with all the better stories out there…

Spleef: Thank-you! And poor Aang….

_AirGirl13_: Haha. Violent Aang. That would have been funny if he attacked Katara, but that would be a little OOC. Thanks for reading my fanfiction!

Ryuusui: You're so awesome. Without you, I wouldn't have eighty reviews now, so thank-you so much! Thanks also for your great compliments!

Next chapter… will probably not be posted next week. Sorry, but I may not have access to a computer then. I'll try to post Chapter 11 in two weeks, though, okay? Hang on there!

Review if you're nice.


	12. Truce

**Hardened Winds **

_Chapter XI_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, when Zuko slipped into the Omashu castle once more, he found Katara's cell empty. Instead, his eyes fell on a small sheet of paper taped to the door, and when he grabbed it, the words lit by the flames of his free hand, this was what he read:

_We have the waterbender girl._

_We are holding her on the east side of the Fenrir Mountain._

_You have two days to try to free her or else you'll never see the girl again._

Gritting his teeth in anger, the prince dropped the note and clenched his fist. Katara had been kidnapped. And right before he had come to rescue her. It was just his luck. Apparently, his goal had become much more complicated. He would have to climb the Fenrir Mountains and release her from her mysterious captors before she would be finally free. Swearing under his breath, he began to retrace his steps, determined to leave the caste as soon as possible to set off on his new journey.

----- ----- -----

The banished one wasn't the only one who had been angered.

Because ever since he had discovered that Katara hadn't returned to her cell like a good little girl, Sokka had been furious, certain that his sister had somehow managed to escape from him. From then on, he had been irritable, snapping at whoever was unlucky enough to cross his path and resolute to get his prisoner back, even if it meant dragging her by the throat. _I give her a little trust and this is what she does to me._ Now he would have to order another search party, especially for her.

He woke up the day after, changing into light, flexible clothes. After gulfing down a quick breakfast, he took his boomerang and several daggers, ready to summon a few others with him so that they could look for his sister. But before he gathered his party, Sokka marched back to the third floor to inspect Katara's cell one last time. He hoped he would see a clue that he had overlooked the last time he had come here. What he found was so much better and so much worse.

The note. He read it quickly, feeling his heart stop when he was done. His anger quickly dissipated as he let go of the message and slumped onto the wall, a disarray of emotions swirling inside him. The sheet of paper hadn't been there last night, and suddenly it had appeared to shatter Sokka's previous suspicions. Worry and fear were what he felt for Katara now, because who knew what she was going through right this moment? At least she hadn't betrayed you, a voice piped _No,_ he thought, irritated, _she just had to get herself kidnapped instead._

But why, he mused as he finally got up, why would someone bother to capture Katara? The only ones who could possibly want her were the avatar and Prince Zuko, and the South Pole native was rather sure that Zuko would not send a note like this if he had succeeded in freeing his sister. Were there other people out there, other enemies he should have taken note of before? The destroyed Fire Nation was the only potential foe out there, and Sokka shuddered when he thought about the possibility. It couldn't have… risen again so fast, could it? It couldn't have pulled it together enough to actually plan another strike against the avatar, right?

Because he didn't want to think about what it would mean if that was true.

There would be no new search parties. He knew exactly where Katara was and he had a deadline, too. He could handle this on his own. After all, she was _his_ prisoner… _his_ sister… _his _responsibility.

He just needed to make sure Aang knew where he was going… at least, more or less. Because he didn't really want to tell his friend everything since it wasn't that big of a matter, and perhaps the avatar would take it a little too seriously. Besides, Aang needed to relax a little after his exhausting victory over Ozai and his current goal. Sokka had a hunch that restoring the three remaining nations would be no piece of cake, the task perhaps even being harder than defeating the Fire Nation. Katara's kidnapping wouldn't do the young monk any good.

Still, Aang should at least know that he was going to go on a small 'trip,' and with that in mind, he headed to Gloria's room. He needed to reach her as soon as possible, because he didn't have all the time in the world to get to Katara, did he? Yet he was even more fortunate, because instead of having to reach the sixth floor, he bumped into her as he was climbing the spiral staircase to the fourth level, and the blond looked astonished when she saw Sokka's joyful expression.

"Gloria!" he gasped. "I need to tell you something!"

"About the prince?" the adult questioned him, bewildered.

"No," Sokka shook his head. "I need you to tell the avatar that I'm going to go away for a day or two. Is that okay?"

"Sure…" the woman said slowly, all the while looking at him quizzically. "But is that it? You sound a little too excited for just that."

"It's a matter concerning the prince," the second-in-command lied briskly. "And I have a deadline, too. And as a matter of fact… how's your search party coming along?"

Gloria looked uncomfortable.

"Not as good as I thought it would go," she informed him. "I have Misaki, and Asuka's still thinking about it, but these days, I can't get them to go to Kali with me. They're both busy with… something else, apparently."

"Really?" Sokka frowned. "Well, they shouldn't be _that_ preoccupied. Try to get them both to come with you to Kali over the next few days, all right?"

"All right. I'll… deliver your message to the avatar now."

Giving the waterbender a smile, he thanked her swiftly before going to his room. He had to make preparations for his journey, after all; it would take at least a day to reach the east side of Fenrir Mountain, and exactly where Katara was been held at was still beyond him. He would probably need to camp there overnight. When Sokka entered his chamber, he swiftly took a big backpack and jammed it with provisions, making sure to also add a folded tent and a sleeping bag, too. When he was done, he slung the bag over his shoulder, checked his weapons once more, and made his way to the Entrance Hall. He was surprised when he saw Misaki there, sitting on one of chairs and looking extremely worried.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka inquired, bewildered.

"Hm?" the younger one looked up to him, and was it just him… or did the second-in-command see a look of panic flash across Misaki's face? "Oh, I'm just… waiting for someone."

"Who?"

This time, Sokka definitely saw the former pirate give him an annoyed look, but it quickly dissipated when he nonchalantly answered:

"Asuka."

"You're waiting for _her?_ Personally, I wouldn't even bother."

Misaki gave him a tight smile.

"Usually, I wouldn't either," he agreed, looking into the distance, "but you know her. She threatened me to death. Said it was something really important."

Sokka nodded before leaving the boy with his own thoughts. However, he couldn't help being bothered by that stare Misaki had given him, because he knew all too well what it meant. The former pirate wasn't one to get angry or impatient the third time; he normally showed his uglier side the _second_ time. And the seventeen-year-old unexpectedly recalled their meeting days ago, when he had just come back from Katara's cell. Had that been… the first time? He had wondered why Misaki had been heading towards the third floor, and perhaps… he hadn't wanted him to know in the first place.

Sokka sighed. Why was he worrying about this now? He had far more important matters to look after, and his focus once again on the goal, he resolutely made it to the castle's exit. By tomorrow night, he was sure he would bring his sister back.

----- ----- -----

Fenrir Mountain, located amidst untamed foliage miles away from the village of Kali, turned out to be a bigger obstacle than Sokka would have thought.

For one thing, it was a rather tall landmark, and for the seventeen-year-old, who had expected more of a hill, it meant more difficulties and more grumbling. Second of all, as the boy climbed higher, it obviously became colder, and sadly, he hadn't packed any extra clothing. Therefore, he had been forced to endure the cold winds since the moment he tackled the mountain, and by the time night fell and he set up camp, Sokka had returned to his snappish mood and hoped that Katara –wherever she was- was grateful for what he was doing for her.

The scenery of Fenrir Mountain consisted mainly of dark green pines and other coniferous trees, which was a vast contrast compared to the arid, treeless landscape of the Omashu city. The ground was darker and softer; that and its pleasant humidity was the only good factors of the mountain, which otherwise remained cold and hostile to its climbers. The idiots who had captured his sister obviously hadn't known what they had gotten themselves into when they had decided to hold her here, and that caused Sokka to smirk as he attempted to make a fire.

For a long time, nothing happened, and he began mumbling a string of curses as he kept rubbing his two dry sticks faster and faster. Minutes later, fire erupted from his hands, and he let out a cry of victory (which soon transformed into a shriek of pain as the fire mounted to his skin) before swiftly transferring the fire to the pile of logs in front of him. A fleeting smile crossed his face before he inspected his surroundings. He had mounted his small tent a while ago, tucking his backpack safely inside, and somehow he had managed to find a big log that he had turned into a place to sit. Besides his campsite, the land of the Fenrir Mountain seemed to be untouched by humans, and Sokka hadn't found anything that told him that Katara's kidnappers had passed by here.

_This will probably take longer than I thought,_ he pondered, sighing.

And it didn't help that he didn't exactly have all the time in the world, either. Besides climbing as high as he could and looking everywhere for a trace of the sixteen-year-old, all Sokka could do was pray that he would reach Katara in time. Because what would happen if she remained in her captors' hands when his time was up? He could only guess that they would get rid of her.

Gradually, the stars appeared in the sky. Cooking his supper, the boy took time to look up and admire the celestial bodies above. It was nothing compared to the aurora borealis, that was for sure, yet the minuscule lights were still stunning, all a different shade of burning white, brilliant yellow, and fiery crimson as they glimmered and twinkled proudly for all to see. They had been even more breathtaking a millennium ago, when the three of them had been traveling on Appa's back and he had admired the stars secretly almost every night. Of course, the skies had been closer to him then, yet it had been harder for him to enjoy his stargazing during those times. He always had had to make sure that Katara and Aang would never catch him staring into the sky. After all, to them, anything beyond his stomach was no interest to him, and he had hated to pop their naïve, little bubble.

After summer's end two years ago, that had changed, though. Almost everything had had. Sokka sighed and hungrily bit into his overcooked chunk of meat. The memory of his discussion with Aang when they had been in the South Pole came back to him… how he had somehow managed to comfort the younger one with the possibility of forming the Resistance. It had seemed on that night that he had said enough, because the avatar had regained his spirits enough to believe again. However, now that the seventeen-year-old was looking back, should he have said more? More so that… his friend would now be smiling more often than he was now?

"Katara, where are you?" he muttered to himself when he was done with his diner, and when he was greeted with no reply (of course), he sighed before slipping inside his tent, ready for a good night of sleep.

He presently didn't know where she was, but he was confident he would tomorrow.

----- ----- -----

The Fire Nation prince despised the mist that was swirling all around him.

Scowling, he waved at the foggy air, hoping to dispel it, yet when it proved to no avail, he groaned and continued to trudge his way up the cursed mountain, his ears strained for any human sound. Unfortunately, all he heard was his own quick footsteps and his occasional grunts of irritation. Because who wouldn't be annoyed by this kind of environment? He was surrounded by tall, verdant pines that always managed to poke him sharply in the sides every now and then, and the ground was too tender, making him unable to go as fast he could.

Plus, he was rather sore from last night. He had slept on the bare ground by a small fire, and he had thought then that he was tough enough to live through one night without any comfort. And true, he had expected pain when he had woken up, but he hadn't known that this mild agony would affect his progress. Indeed, his soreness now prevented him from moving as briskly and swiftly as he could, and he hated himself for that unwise decision he had made the other day. He should have known that any pain would have hindered his speed.

And so the spoiled prince learned the hard way that he wasn't always right.

The firebender hadn't spotted any signs of Katara or her captors either, which, without a doubt, made him very frustrated. In an area where humans avoided, one would have thought it would be easy to find clues that others had come by, but so far, Zuko hadn't had any luck. Either the girl's kidnappers were very smart… or the mist was beginning to affect his brain. He was very thankful that the fogs weren't a normal occurrence in the Fire Nation.

As time went by and his mind stopped focusing on his exasperation, he began thinking about what he would do. Katara would probably be tied up when he found her, and if he was particularly unlucky, the ropes would be fireproof. But the boy had a small knife with him just in case, and he figured that in any circumstances, he would be able to free the girl from her bounds. The main problem was… how would they escape from their captors? The landscape of Fenrir Mountain wasn't the best for running, and the kidnappers must know the surroundings pretty well. After all, why else would they choose this damn place to hold Katara? The best thing he could do was to knock the enemy unconscious with his firebending, he mused… yet that depended on how many he would have to face. It shouldn't be too hard, though, because it wasn't as if he would be alone in the fighting; he would have Katara by his side, and she knew enough waterbending to be a good fighter.

If he played his cards right, the prince would be able to set off for the Fire Nation with Katara tonight.

Just then, he saw something hanging from a tree. He rapidly snatched the object, immediately realizing that it was a piece of black cloth. It must have been a part of her captors' attire. When he inspected the new clue, he learned that it had been recently ripped. And he doubted that the piece of cloth belonged to a mere pedestrian who had just happened to think that taking a stroll in Fenrir Mountain was a good idea.

_One step closer to her._

Feeling his confidence growing inside him, he quickened his pace, violently casting aside any branch that was in his way. However, he didn't find any other clues after that, and he let himself slow down slightly as his frustration returned. The mountain was huge, he had to admit, and who knew where Katara was. The east side. If that wasn't a vague location, he didn't know what was. It appeared as if the kidnappers did not want Zuko to find them, but then… why did they leave a note in the first place? However, now that he was thinking about it… how _could_ one describe a specific location on a mountain…

His questions and confusion only fed his anger. When he finally did hear something, he clenched his fist, listening for more and prepared to attack whoever was out there. It was footsteps, he knew, and it seemed as if they were as quick and labored as his own. But… he listened closer… was it just him or was there only _one_ pair of footsteps? Was the stranger carrying the waterbender? But it couldn't be, because Katara would have surely been able to handle one opponent. Still… his best option was to follow the newcomer, and taking more caution with his own steps, Zuko neared the source of the sound.

The pace of the footsteps was uneven. Sometimes they were quick and rhythmic, and sometimes they were slow and sluggish. And as he approached, he began hearing panting, too. The person apparently wasn't used to the mountain's terrain. What should he do? It was very likely that they would cross path, now that they were this close. Should he attack the stranger… or should he just let him pass? After all, it now became evident that he wasn't the current enemy, but Zuko wasn't the most welcome person in this area… Being the prince of the Fire Nation did have its consequences, and hearing his uncle's words once more, he wondered whether the avatar had made posters of him already.

Perhaps a peek at the newcomer would help with his decision. The firebender came closer to the other by a few more feet before hiding behind a large coniferous tree. And when the stranger came into view, he immediately found the answer to his question.

----- ----- -----

Sokka had begun tiring from his walk, lazily batting away the misty air in front of him, when a savage beast attacked him.

He let out an angry shout as he was abruptly pushed to the ground. Before he knew it, a flamed fist was right in front of him, making him discover that he was being assaulted by something even worse than a feral animal. _A firebender._ Snarling, the boy dodged the opponent's punch and scrambled to his feet, and a second later, he was in a fighting stance, his boomerang drawn out and his face fierce. It took no time at all for him to recognize who had so suddenly jumped on him.

_Well. What do you know… it's the damn prince himself._ He smirked.

Zuko was scowling deeply at him, his body tense in a combat position while his fists blazed dangerously. Even though he was somehow not surprised that Zuko was here, he couldn't care less about the prince's motives. All that mattered now was that he took the nemesis down, because hadn't ordered a search party for Prince Zuko for nothing. With that in mind, he narrowed his eyes before viciously throwing his boomerang at the scarred one. Easily dodging his attack, Zuko rushed towards him, and Sokka gasped when he felt his foot dig into his stomach. Once again, he was on the floor, and anger began to mount inside as he forgot his boomerang (it was only useful for attacks from afar, anyway) and got out his dagger.

The prince threw a small fireball at him, and he swiftly avoided it before lashing out with his weapon, smiling to himself when the blade slashed the firebender's clothing. His smile soon vanished, though, when the enemy, glowering, pummeled him right in the face. For some lucky reason, Zuko's fist hadn't been on fire when it made contact with his nose, and when Sokka swore and stumbled back, he was thankful not to feel any burning agony. He had a feeling the fight would have been over if fire had eaten his flesh away…

This time, it was his turn to glare at Zuko, who allowed no change to show on his pale face before unleashing a series of quick attacks. The prince was a good warrior, Sokka had to admit as he dodged the other's strikes, and he felt his heart beat wildly, uncontrollably. It was taking every ounce of his concentration not to get beaten up by the firebender. As the fight went on, he did receive a few punches and kicks, but fortunately, they were the less harmful ones. He was using defense tactics that Gloria had taught him not too long ago, and for once, he was completely indebted to the blond, who clearly knew a lot more than he had given credit for.

And when Zuko's attacks became less frequent and brisk, Sokka took the opportunity to go on the offensive. This time, he was remembering Misaki's technique with daggers, and raising his own high above the air, he made sure it was at an angle towards the sun that would blind his adversary before rapidly striking it across Zuko's face. Since he hadn't put that much force into his blow, he knew that it would be a shallow cut; nevertheless, the prince gasped and took a step back. His fists, which had at one point ceased to hold fire, burst into flames once more, but Sokka didn't allow him to make any firebending attacks, because he then rushed forward, quick and precise. At a glance, he searched for every one of Zuko's weak points, and he took advantage of every one of them. In a mere few minutes, there were numerous gashes all over the firebender's body. Zuko did not stop fighting, yet Sokka knew that his gashes had made a difference, because the other's blows were becoming less fluent and more forced.

Sadly, the seventeen-year-old's success was feeding Zuko's anger, and when the prince became more furious, his assaults became more brutal. This, Sokka realized almost too late when he felt a painful burning spreading across his chest, and when he looked down and saw that his opponent had somehow punched him on the chest, Zuko took the chance to throw him head first onto the ground. It was a miracle he didn't pass out.

Sokka's goal was to knock the other unconscious so that he would be able to drag the prince to the avatar's castle and safely lock him up. After saving Katara, of course. However, daggers weren't made to knock people out; their functions served only to wound or to kill. He therefore knew that he would eventually have to give up his blade if he wanted to truly conquer the firebender, because if he kept on fighting like this, he would either tire out and get burned alive (most likely and highly unpleasant)… or end up assassinating Zuko by accident (highly unlikely but a rather blithe thought). And sadly, Katara wouldn't like that.

The firebender was as vicious as ever, and while Sokka had gone back to his defensive maneuver, he was finding that it was becoming harder and harder to avoid Zuko's blows. And finally, as he was dodging one of the other's worst attacks, he lost his balance and fell onto the ground, his dagger flying from his hand and landing a few yards away from him. His hand automatically softened the fall, and one of them felt his boomerang that had so far lain forgotten on the ground. Slowly looked up, Sokka came face to face with Zuko, who was staring at him murderously from above with his flaming fist merely a few inches from his visage.

And unless he thought fast, he would have a very screwed-up face very soon.

So, like in every tough situation, Sokka turned to his instincts. And at this moment, Sokka's instincts were screaming at him to pick up his boomerang and throw it at the prince's face, at the tiny possibility that it would actually get a result. And to the South Pole native's immense good fortune, Zuko had no time to think before the boomerang struck him right in the forehead, and it was his turn to tumble onto the ground as he lost all balance. Sokka acted fast, and a moment later, he had pined the firebender to the ground. With the firebender on his stomach, the seventeen-year-old had easily gotten his arms together behind his back, neutralizing the prince's dangerous firebending hands. Sokka didn't bother to keep his hands away from Zuko's, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't because he was being the forgetful idiot that he sometimes was. On his hands were a pair of thick, fireproof gloves, which refused to light up when the prince's hands erupted in flames.

And to end the fight, Sokka was rather strong. Especially when gravity was on his side now. It was all because of dumb luck.

Seeing his adversary struggle uselessly, the seventeen-year-old smiled.

_Checkmate._

----- ----- -----

This was so degrading.

A second before, he had had the South Pole brat at his mercy. Where was he now, though? Defenseless and on the ground, about to lose everything. And all because of some stupid boomerang that only luck had given to his adversary just on time. After all, it was obvious that the other had been no match for him since the very beginning; his techniques were pathetically simple and he wasn't even a bender. Yet the scrawny teen had somehow managed to stand his ground for a rather long time, and maybe… if Zuko had knocked him out sooner… he would be with Katara now, safe and sound.

But… _no._ He was about to get killed by a sad excuse of an opponent. Gritting his teeth in fury and glowering at the other boy, he again tried to free himself, to stand up and teach the moron a fatal lesson. However, despite his skinny figure, the South Pole brat was powerful, even sturdy enough to keep the Fire Nation prince himself on the ground… although it was clear that the effort was taking a lot from him.

Now that Zuko thought about it… how would his adversary kill him anyway? The other couldn't use his arms at all, or else he would free the prince. And the moment Zuko's hands came in contact with anything besides those damn fireproof gloves, he would make sure that the boy would never rise up again. Yet Katara's brother _could_ use his legs, therefore he would be able to kick him in the face and crack his skull. His opponent was deep in thought, Zuko could tell, and it was just a matter of time when he would figure out that he could just kick him and end it all.

But until the idiot decided his fate, the firebender could at least do something to entertain himself, right? The eighteen-year-old smirked at the thought before opening his mouth and unleashing a burst of fire onto the South Pole native. Again, it was only luck that made sure that the latter dodged his assault while keeping his hold on the prince, and when he regained his composure, he glared murderously at Zuko.

"I should just kill you now," he hissed, his eyes brimming with hatred.

"Why don't you then?" the firebender whispered smoothly.

The moron's hold on his forearms tightened.

"I won't," he then informed Zuko, making the banished one looked at him in surprise.

"Well, if you don't kill me," the prince pointed out, "_I'll_ kill you."

"I doubt that."

"You think I'm not capable of murder?"

"_No._ I think you just can't afford to lose any more time, that's all."

And the South Pole brat was right. Zuko glared at him even harder.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"It's pretty obvious why we're both here," the other told him. "You're looking for Katara, aren't you?"

"Yes." The firebender saw no point in denying this.

"Well, I'm looking for her, too. And I guessed that you read the note, too. So you know we have a deadline."

Zuko nodded slowly. The scrawny adolescent bit his lip, and uncertainty flashed across his face for a moment. Finally he opened his mouth, and each word awkwardly tumbled out, as if it was taking a tremendous effort for the idiot to let them out.

"I have no idea where Katara is exactly. I'm sure _you_ have no idea where she is, either. And we're running out of time. If we want to find her at all… we'll have to stop this fight and even… work together."

He grimaced, and the prince could perfectly understand why. He himself snorted.

"Why do you think I'll work with _you_?" he retorted, almost laughing. "The moment you lessen your grip on me, I'll attack. And I doubt you'll survive for long."

"You think I'm that easy to beat?" the South Pole brat stared at him incredulously. "Then why am I still alive?" His tone, much to Zuko's annoyance, turned mocking. "For your information, we have been fighting for half an hour, and you didn't even do any real damage to me. And who has the advantage now?"

The firebender hated how that true that was, but he believed that there was a likely explanation for what had happened in the last half away. Katara's dumb brother was clearly a favorite of Lady Luck. The moron was right, though; he had survived the fiery prince for quite a long time, and he was still on his guard. Zuko doubted Lady Luck would leave the idiot soon, and it would take too long for him to actually win the battle. And when he did, it could be too late for Katara. And he couldn't afford that.

"What do you suggest?" he asked his adversary, just a little sarcastic.

"Simple. We stop fighting, we make a truce, and we use our brains together to find out where Katara is. We fight _together_ to free her, and then we'll deal on who gets to have her in the end."

And by then, Zuko was convinced that he would be able to take the other down. Plus, if Katara would be free by then, he would have nothing whatsoever to restrain him. The deal was sounding quite nice now.

"Okay then," he sighed, albeit still a little reluctant, and the idiot nodded before at last letting him go.

"I'm watching you, though," the South Pole native said, narrowing his eyes. "If you try something behind my back, I'll…" Yet, to Zuko's bemusement, he could not finish his sentence.

"What's wrong?" the prince taunted him, raising an eyebrow. "Cat got your tongue?" He allowed a smirk before continuing on a more solemn note: "And if _you_ try something behind _my_ back, I'll definitely show you no mercy."

"You're going to kill me?" the brat asked, and a moment later, he burst out laughing. "You forget who I am… your girlfriend's brother! I doubt Katara would be happy if she found out you killed her own kin and blood."

Damn. Zuko hadn't thought about that. And in response to the enemy's previous statement, he swore at him.

"Wash that filthy mouth of yours," the other coolly said. "Besides, I have a name, you know. It's _Sokka,_ by the way."

As if he would ever call the South Pole brat by his name.

"Let's go then," Zuko declared instead, "we have to get to Katara before night falls."

"Yes. We should."

And exchanging another glare, the avatar's second-in-command and the deceased Fire Lord's son set off once again to look for Katara. And if anyone had been there to see the sight, they would have concluded that the two were the strangest pair they had ever seen.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Very eventful chapter, although not the best. Sigh. To make this chapter the best it could be, I would need to do some major editing. I think my writing is deteriorating… Not that I have time to do any. Editing, I mean. I'm so sorry. And I am extremely sorry that I haven't updated for four (or even five!) weeks! I can go on and on about the lame excuses that prevented me from updating for my faithful readers, but that'll just bore you and make you hate me. So to make it short: I'm sorry. I'm busy. And I might still be. If you're lucky, though, a chapter will be posted next week. If you're not lucky…

Brace yourself for another month. Ahahahahahaha.

Hopefully this chapter is acceptable. I love reviews, by the way (as if this is news to you). Speaking of reviews, I made it to 90! I am so ecstatic! Ninety is such a lovely number, and the fantastic reviews I got… I can summarize my emotions in one powerful word. YAY. It won't be long until I get 100 reviews, even surpassing my old record…. Moving on.

If the number of reviews I got for a story is 10 or more, I won't do reviewer responses. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll do a few in my later chapters… if I feel like it. Anyway…

I love the binomial theorem. I hate Pascal's Triangle. Why aren't the combination and permutation formulas the solution for every single problem in the world? Argh. Just an idea of what I'm going through. Attempting to cram a year of math in a week. Wish me luck.

Review if you're nice.


	13. Complications

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Sokka… is off on a personal trip."

"Really?"

"That's what he told me."

In front of him, the blond shrugged, and taking her word, the avatar nodded sagely. Seated on his vast bed, he calmly gazed at Gloria as she came and informed him about his second-in-command. Sokka was off on a person trip… apparently. But somehow the airbender knew that Sokka was up to something. It was a feeling, an instinct… perhaps a sensation that only the avatar could feel. Meanwhile, the waterbender was clearly nervous at the entrance of his chamber, looking at him with a mixture of worry and unease. She was probably remembering what had happened during their last encounter. But he himself had long put that behind him.

"Thank-you, Gloria," the young monk nodded towards her before quickly dismissing her. The woman smiled shyly before swiftly exiting his room, leaving the fourteen-year-old to his thoughts.

Slowly, he got up from his bed and made his way to his balcony, leaning on the rails as he let his eyes rest on the scenery in front of him. His attention flickered from the harbor village of Kali, which was comprised of tiny dots as rooftops, to the large stretch of dark forests that reached until the mountains. The skies were a light tint of gray –rain was coming- and it was while he was mesmerized by the sluggish clouds above when it suddenly occurred to him to take a walk to the third floor.

And since the avatar currently had nothing to do, he simple obeyed his whim and left his chambers. Somehow he had an idea of what he would find, and when he reached a deserted third floor and an empty cell that had surely just being used, the airbender couldn't say he was surprised.

----- ----- -----

"Do you have _any_ idea where we're going?"

"We're going to rescue Katara."

"Is that all you know? Because I think we're just going in circles."

"No, we're not. We're heading towards the top of the mountain… I think."

"You think? You _think?_ Though why am I surprised? I shouldn't have expected more from a half-brained moron like you."

"Shut-up! And what about you? Are you any better, Mister I-think-I'm-all-that-because-I'm-a-banished-prince!"

"We're going in circles, why don't you just admit it?"

Halting, the two boys took the trouble to glare at each other for a second before quickly averting their gazes and continue their march, although it was evident that they were both at the edge of their patience. While Sokka couldn't believe how irritating and stubborn the Fire Nation prince was, Zuko was beginning to have second thoughts about agreeing to work with the idiot in the first place. It had been hours since they had made their truce, and so far their progress hadn't improved at all. Even worse, the firebender's temper was getting worse and worse and the seventeen-year-old's snappish attitude had returned. It was rather likely that the two enemies would bite each other's head off before finding Katara.

"You arrogant bastard."

Three words. Sokka had so suddenly uttered the insult, not knowing why exactly he had bothered, although it did relieve some of his stress. Meanwhile, Zuko's shoulders tensed and his fist immediately burned up with enraged fire. However, instead of merely attacking the South Pole native and ending it all, he looked down and muttered:

"You pathetic loser."

Sokka stared angrily at the prince, balling his own fists.

"You hotheaded idiot," he replied back, gritting his teeth.

"Ignorant moron."

"Spoiled brat."

"Piece of filth."

"Egocentric prat."

Another exchange of furious stares before they both finally shut up, although the two had to admit, the earlier swap of insults had calmed their nerves quite a bit. Yet even when their anger subdued to a point where it allowed rational thoughts to enter their mind once more, neither could come up with a plan to find where exactly the waterbender was. She could be anywhere on the mountain, Sokka thought desperately, frowning. He didn't have time to search everywhere for her, Zuko mused, scowling. Both were dreading the deadline that was impending on them. Because they knew that if they kept looking for Katara like this, they would never find her on time.

"Do you have _any_ idea where we're going?" the eighteen-year-old then attempted to inquire again, and defeated, Sokka shook his head. "I knew it," Zuko mumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"Look," the other said impatiently. "Scouting the mountain is all we can really do now. Unless… _you_ have a better way to find your girlfriend." Sokka eyed the firebender shrewdly, and when the latter failed to provide an answer to the previous statement, Sokka smirked.

"Don't do that," Zuko warned him, stepping forward menacingly.

"Do what?"

"Smirk in that stupid way of yours."

"Why shouldn't I?" Sokka taunted. "You act as if I'm the idiot here, but you know as much (if not even less) as I do. Who's the moron now?"

"There must be another way to get to Katara," the firebender said more quietly, almost as if to himself. "There has to be clue… maybe even a signal…"

"What? That something will just _appear_ in the sky and tell us where she is?"

The second-in-command of the avatar pulled a face and pointed at the sky to emphasize his point, and that was when gray smoke began to appear in the direction of his finger. Zuko let out a soft gasp as he saw the smoke, which soon turned into a small, victorious smile. Sokka, who only noticed when he saw the prince's grin, gaped at what was in front of his eyes, but when he finally regained his composure, he turned back to the other, a smug smile on his face.

"I'm a prophet," he declared, laughing. "When I say that there will be smoke in the sky, there _will_ be smoke in the sky."

"Shut-up, Sokka."

Yet Zuko's retort had been light, and it had been the first time he had used the South Pole brat's actual name. Sokka blinked at the prince for a moment before hastily jogging towards the smoke, eagerly motioning for Zuko to do the same.

"It has to be Katara, right?" the prince asked, almost uncertainly, as they ran towards the puffs of smoke in the air.

"Who else can it be?" Sokka answered happily, one step ahead of Zuko. "There's no one in this place except us and her kidnappers!"

"But why… why would they show us where they are so freely? It's probably a trap."

The younger boy shrugged.

"So what? As long as I know where Katara is, I'm going to her… no matter what!"

Astonished but satisfied with Sokka's comment, Zuko just nodded before they stopped talking and concentrated on going as fast as they could, neatly dodging the huge trees and the sharp branches that often sprang in front of them. There were many obstacles that impeded their speed, but the boys didn't care. As long as they knew where Katara was, everything would be all right. The danger of their foes was not a question in their minds, because with their determination and strength, both Sokka and Zuko agreed on one thing; nothing could stand in their way.

Except… as the seventeen-year-old accidentally tripped the firebender, making the latter shout a series of obscenities at him…. each other.

As the minutes sailed by, the smoke became more solid, dominating more and more of the sky. They knew that they were nearing their destination. At last, when a pile of thick, dark bushes lay ahead of them, Zuko abruptly stopped Sokka and gestured for both of them to start crawling. Sokka had no idea why the prince wanted him to do so, but Zuko had a feeling that they were now dangerously close to the enemy. They were cautious in their movements, making sure that they were quick and quiet, and when they reached the bushes, Zuko gently cleared a section so they could peer through, and what met their eyes proved that the prince had been right.

Because yards away, right in front of them, was Katara. And she was tied tightly to a standing pole, her mouth gagged securely and her hands unable to waterbend in any way.

"Katara!" Sokka gasped, and he made a small move, but Zuko quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Not now!" he hissed, and when the other indignantly asked why, he shushed him and pointed to the right.

Because just then, two figures emerged from the trees ahead and encircled the girl, both entirely in black while a bow and arrows were strung onto their backs. They were armed, and for the first time, the two boys discovered that their enemies truly meant business. And that was when Sokka and Zuko realized that they needed a more concrete plan on how to take Katara's captors down and get the girl.

----- ----- -----

She hated how weak and vulnerable she presently was.

Glowering at her surroundings, Katara replayed the events that had happened, how she had been so easily captured by two unknown figures and how they had lead her here to this clearing, with her hands tied while every step she had taken had been forced. The strangers were powerful, and they had effortlessly dodged her frantic attacks and subdued her. And dragging her, they had all reached the mountain by last night. The two were also apathetic to her condition. After all, they hadn't cared when she had begun shivering from the cool winds of the mountain, and they hadn't even fed her since they had jumped on her. Now they had secured her to this pole, literally immobilizing her without her having a single idea why she had been taken here in the first place.

The afternoon was creeping on, yet it became no warmer, and her skin was beginning to become numb from the cold. The unfamiliar scenery of tall pines and dark brown earth unnerved her, because even if she could somehow escape… where would she go? She was trapped –completely at her kidnappers' mercy.

Why did they take her anyway? How was she important at all? And who… were her captors? She had looked over every possibility, yet the problem was… there weren't many. Because the war was over, and these things… such as her kidnapping… shouldn't happen anymore. She heard her stomach rumble, and a small moan escaped her throat. She bit angrily at the cloth that gagged her before glancing at the strangers in black, who were currently sitting on the cold ground, relaxed and ignoring her presence. One was tall and incredibly slim, his body almost feminine, while the other was shorter yet also rather scrawny, always in a wary stance. After a while, one of them casually strode over to her and gently took off her gag. Bewildered, Katara stared at his covered face for a moment before spitting out:

"What do you want from me?"

It was her taller captor, and when the words escaped the hostage's lips, he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Katara was about to let out a scream (perhaps there was someone nearby who could hear her… rescue her) when the other abruptly tied the cloth to her mouth again. More enraged than ever, the waterbender stared angrily at the man in black, imagining his horrid downfall if she had the ability to waterbend at this moment.

She didn't know anything. Her captors hadn't spoken at all since she had been taken in their care, and it was unsettling to think that she had no idea what they were planning to do with her. So far, they hadn't hurt or threatened her, but who knew how long that would last? Katara closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she began feeling panic rise inside her. No, she needed to calm down. If she wanted to have the least bit chance of outsmarting her kidnappers, she needed a cool head. And she was confident that she wouldn't stay in captivity for long. Katara would figure out something… a way to free herself… and then perhaps she'd also be able to gain her revenge on those bastards, too.

Who were they to think that they could just take anybody away on a whim and expect no harm from it?

The waterbender suddenly thought about Zuko, soon smiling cynically to herself as she mused about how the prince would treat the two if _he_ was the kidnapped one. Or better yet… if he knew that _she_ had been captured. Of course, she sighed thinking about it; he probably had no idea what predicament she was in. Sokka would know perhaps, Katara reasoned, picturing his reaction when he realized (he probably already had by now) that she was gone. Sadly, the first conclusion that would jump into the mind of her dear big brother was that she had escaped, and the worst thing was that she couldn't blame him for that. In any way, she couldn't expect help from anyone but herself.

And that was when a fireball spiraled from nowhere and whooshed right past one of her captors, severely burning the soft earth when it finally descended to the ground. In an instant, both of them stood up, rapidly scanning their surroundings with suspicious eyes. And before Katara had time to dare to hope, Zuko jumped out of the bushes, running like a maniac towards her shorter kidnapper and landing a neat punch into the other's stomach. No sound came out of the stranger clad in black, but the girl could tell he was angry, because a moment later, he attempted to kick her prince right in the face. Zuko dodged the assault though, and before the other could think of another attack, he rushed towards her and fumbled with the ropes.

"I'll get you out of here," the firebender whispered to her, "I promise."

However, as soon as he said that, an arrow struck the pole right above Katara's head, and shaken, she turned and saw the taller figure preparing to shoot another arrow. Zuko immediately ran from Katara's pole and just barely avoided the second arrow. He darted past the trees and out of sight, but apparently the enemy knew that he would be coming back, because the shorter of the two –at the gesture of the other- quickly ran after her, leaving Katara in the care of only one foe now.

Zuko had come for her. The waterbender couldn't help but smile. Somehow… he had known where she had been, and through determination and love, he had found her. And she would be all right. She looked at her remaining captor, happy to find him frowning, evidently on his guard. He looked around one more time before cautiously approaching the bush from which the prince had burst out from, and raising an eyebrow, Katara observed him, wondering what he was up to.

But before the man could take another step forward, Zuko came rushing back, ferociously tackling her captor. When he fell to the ground, the firebender roughly picked him up, and with an incredible strength, threw him farther into the trees. His fists full of licking flames, the eighteen-year-old marched resolutely to his victim and threw another fireball, which the figure in black just luckily happened to dodge. In turn, the latter began preparing his bow and arrows, but Zuko persisted, continuing to walk towards the enemy, forcing him to back away, until the two were out of the sight.

How long would it be until the prince returned? Katara wondered, frowning. Though Zuko had managed to get rid of his first opponent pretty quick, the outcome of his present fight was still undecided. The girl was eager to be free from her bounds, and to her surprise, she quickly found out that she would be rescued faster than she thought. Because just then, the bushes her kidnapper had inspected rustled. A second later, none other than Sokka popped out, waving lazily at her.

"How are you doing, Katara?" he greeted her nonchalantly, though his voice was quiet as he strolled towards her and ripped away her gag.

"Sokka!" the sixteen-year-old gasped, gawking at her brother. "What are you-… how-…?"

"Yes, isn't it nice to have the ability of speech again," Sokka said, looking carefully at the ropes bounding her to the pole. "Wow, they did a really good job tying you up."

"How did you know I was here?" the girl at last was able to produce an articulate question.

"The same way Zuko did," the seventeen-year-old informed her, keeping that infuriating casual tone of his while he began poking at the ropes.

"So you're working together with him… with _Zuko?"_

Taking out a dagger from his sleeve, Sokka turned to her, seeming somewhat annoyed.

"Look, Katara," he sighed, slowly beginning to hack through her bounds. "Do you think I would just let Zuko handle everything? Don't you have the least faith in your big brother?" And when Katara looked at him, bemused, he scowled at her. "Look," he snapped, "I'm not just going to let some creep save _my_ sister."

Blinking, the waterbender stared at him before she finally beamed.

"Thanks, Sokka," she whispered, and he nodded distractedly, muttering about the stubborn ropes that still held her tightly to the pole.

"You're always the one being kidnapped, aren't you?" the boy then piped up, grinning mockingly at her. "First with the pirates and now this."

Katara snorted but nevertheless nodded reluctantly in agreement.

"All that's missing is your necklace," Sokka continued, and she could feel the ropes on her chest loosening slightly. "Which Aang has, of course."

The waterbender jerked her head to her brother.

"_What!"_

Startled, he looked up to her, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw her unusually sharp gaze.

"Aang has my necklace?" Katara inquired, looking intently at her brother.

More than two years ago, when she had decided to side with the Fire Nation, the first thing she had expected from Zuko was for him to return her necklace. However, he had explain instead that he had lost it during one of his battles with the avatar, when he hadn't known how much the necklace had meant to her, and therefore to him. Of course, the girl had been dejected, having to accept the fact that she would have to live without her mother's last gift. And now… _Aang?_

"Apparently," Sokka cut through her thoughts, his dagger cutting through the ropes at her waist now, "a merchant found your necklace a long time ago, and last year (I think) Aang and I were at this village far away from here and he saw the necklace been displayed on a stand. He was fascinated by it right away and decided to buy it. I think," the boy mused out loud, "Aang told me that he had bought something that looked familiar to him, and it made me wonder. But it was only later that I realized exactly what he had bought. And when I told him…"

Katara could only imagine the avatar's reaction.

"He kept it, though?" she said, surprised. "Why would he…?"

"Who knows what's going on in Aang's mind?" Sokka shrugged, and when he still didn't manage to get through the ropes with his dagger, he swore. "Why did they tie you up damn well?" he muttered under his breath, "if only…"

"Wait, Sokka," Katara persisted on the previous subject, "so Aang still has my necklace, right?"

Yet before the seventeen-year-old could answer, the two heard an ominous whoosh before an arrow with a steel head grazed Sokka's shoulder. The boy let out a gasp before taking a step back and looking around for his enemy. Katara's taller captor appeared, glowering at him before drawing his bow once more. Sokka ducked just in time, and when he got up again, an angry snarl adorned his face before he charged at his adversary. The two soon were at each other's throats.

The waterbender, meanwhile, struggled uselessly against her ropes, scowling when she learned that although her brother had done a good amount of work, she still wasn't free. She couldn't help in the fight at all. She tried to move her hands, to waterbend in anyway, and when that proved futile, she cursed under her breath. All she could do, much to her disgust, was watch as Sokka continued wrestling with the stranger in black, all the while wondering what had happened to the prince.

----- ----- -----

Sokka had had enough fighting for one day.

First, he had been forced to battle with a hotheaded idiot of a prince, and now… he was engaged in fierce combat with a furious ninja, who was obviously determined to do him a great deal of damage. Which really sucked, because Sokka had no idea why the guy hated him so much. Could trying to free his own sister bring so much anger from another? It didn't help that he had absolutely no idea who his enemy was! As he had noted before, both of Katara's kidnappers resembled ninjas, completely attired in black while their faces were hidden in folds of tight cloth. He could see their eyes, though, and his current opponent's eyes were narrowed and cold.

He would probably have no problem slitting Sokka's throat.

Which was close enough to what was presently happening; but what was _really_ happening was that the boy was now running furiously everywhere, his dagger in a tight grip as he tried to dodge the deadly arrows that were been constantly shot at him from the stranger in black. Sokka was trying to either reach Katara and completely free her… or tackle the foe before he could draw another arrow. Both proved to be easier said than done.

At this distance, the South Pole native could do no harm to his adversary, which was infuriating. He _could_ throw his dagger at the other, but a rational voice in his head was telling him that was not the best idea. Sokka had just heavily hit the ground to avoid another arrow when he saw Zuko coming out of nowhere, and by the looks of the firebender, he immediately knew that they were not winning the fight. The prince had scrapes all over him, most of them light from the arrows grazing him… but some were deep, huge gashes of red even. Evidently Zuko had fought hard with his own ninja, but it was also clear that the two boys had considerably underestimated their foe.

Slowly, Sokka stood up, seeing Zuko angrily throw a fireball at the corner of his eye. The other two had trapped them in their clearing, and there was no way to escape now. Either they rescued Katara and kicked her captors' butts or… Sokka didn't want to think of the other option.

"What are we going to do now?" he whispered to Zuko as they were back-to-back, each glaring at their own ninja.

"Fight," the other answered back lightly, "and watch each other's back."

And with that, they gave each other a meaningful stare and nod before running heads on to the opposite direction. Clearly astounded by their perseverance, Sokka's adversary stared at him for a moment before quickly fumbling with his bow and arrows, yet he was not fast enough. The South Pole native managed to punch the other right in the face, and the man tumbled to the ground, dazed. Instantly, the seventeen-year-old reached for the bow, and with a quick snap, broke the weapon. When his opponent finally stood up, Sokka smiled idly at him and waved the broken bow before contemptuously throwing it to the ground. The stranger narrowed his eyes, his eyes presently ablaze with rage.

One second he was on the ground, harmless. The next second, he had rushed to Sokka and was now pinning the boy to the ground, his hands dangerously creeping to the other's fragile neck. Grimacing, Sokka swiftly kicked him off him before jumping up and drawing his dagger while the other took on a defense position. With a yell, the second-in-command of the avatar lunged at his opponent, preparing to slash his face with his dagger, but the ninja dodged with grace before kicking Sokka hard in the chest.

The seventeen-year-old, doubling in pain, gritted his teeth and slowly looked up, and he paled when he saw his adversary preparing to strike a fierce punch. Yet a fireball was suddenly thrown at the ninja's direction, scorching a part of his arm and causing him to stop and wince in pain. Sokka took a moment to look at Zuko, who still had his fist raised. The latter glared at him before the shorter ninja grabbed the prince by the shoulder, and the South Pole native could just manage a brief, grateful smile before Zuko soon had his back turned to him, too busy fending off his own opponent to help Sokka again.

He then turned to the other ninja, who was now on his knees and cradling his injured arm. Wasting no time, Sokka pinned his adversary to the ground, a foot pressed hard on the stranger's shins to make sure that the other would not try to kick him off. Narrowing his eyes, he cautiously removed his hand from the ninja's wounded arm, instead going over his face and tugging uncertainly at what was keeping him from knowing the foe's true identity. The enemy was glaring at him, but since he was unable to do anything, Sokka paid no attention to him as his thoughts wandered off for a moment.

Would Katara's kidnappers be people he knew? It seemed so unlikely, yet who would want to capture his sister and then leave a note for him? It must be somebody either he or Katara knew, but… who? Looking back at the stranger's cold eyes, Sokka thought that he knew nobody so cruel, but who knew?

A second later, he pushed away the folds that hid his opponent's face and…

Saw a stranger's face.

For a minute, the boy blinked at him. The ninja's true visage was composed of a skin darker than his own, a slender, flat nose, and high cheekbones. There was one thing very strange about him, though; there was symbols painted dark red on his face, one diamond on his forehead and one just above his nose while a shape covered both his eyes, extending as an axe from the corner of the eyes to his temple.

Sokka stared at the other for another minute before his opponent managed to kick him off. Hitting hard on the ground, the boy gritted his teeth before quickly standing up.

"Who _are_ you?" he demanded, but his adversary ignored him and tried to land another kick.

The South Pole native quickly avoided the assault, though, before mercilessly grabbing the other's burned arm, and a gasp of agony could be heard as the enemy went half limp.

"Does this hurt?" Sokka asked quietly, squeezing the other's arm tighter. "Tell me who you are!"

The man in black said nothing, merely staring at the boy in absolute hatred, and before the latter could throw another inquiry, the ninja lost consciousness. Staring at him in disgust, Sokka scowled and turned his attention to Zuko, who had just violently pushed his own adversary to the ground.

"Why won't they just fall and stay on the ground?" the prince snarled.

"Mine did," Sokka pointed out, smiling slightly, and Zuko turned to glower at him.

However, the firebender's gaze soon shifted from the seventeen-year-old to the man out cold on the ground, and his golden eyes widened as he let out a soft gasp.

"You… know him?" Sokka queried, bemused.

"It's a YuuYan archer!"

"_What?"_

Yet Zuko had no time to explain further, because just then, his ninja rose from the ground and charged at him. The prince fell and groaned, and his opponent raised his foot, about to step hard on his stomach. In a second, Sokka had his boomerang in his hand and threw it hard at the ninja, and his aim was accurate, because it hit the man right on the forehead, causing him to stumble back and give Zuko time to regain his ground. Staring at his adversary in fury, Zuko waved a flamed fist at him before punching him on the shoulder, and Sokka could hear the sickening sizzle of smoldering flesh as the ninja abruptly stepped back and clutched his injured shoulder, only to draw his hand away and wince. Even contact made the pain worse. Not waiting another second, the banished one picked up the ninja and threw him into the bushes, and when the latter did not rise again, Zuko turned to Sokka.

"YuuYan archers work for the Fire Nation," he evenly answered the seventeen-year-old's question, "and they used to work for my father. They are… great warriors and extraordinary archers."

"And they're from the Fire Nation," Sokka added, his eyes narrowed. "And if my ninja is a YuuYan archer, it's likely the other is, too."

It figured, the boy pondered, angry. The damn nation could never rest, even after it had been crushed by Aang. Zuko, guessing what he was thinking, scowled at him, as if challenging him to insult his country, but before either of them spoke, Katara cleared her throat and gave both of them an annoyed look.

"You seem to have forgotten the very reason you came here," she said smoothly, and Zuko and Sokka stared at her, bewildered, before an embarrassed look crossed both of their faces.

"I'll get you out of the ropes in no time, Katara," Sokka immediately assured her, walking towards the pole.

The prince frowned but didn't say anything. Probably because he knew that fire was useless in this situation, the South Pole native thought, smirking. After all, he didn't want to burn his precious girl, did he?

"We're going to head back to the Fire Nation, Katara," Zuko told her after a while. "If possible, even tonight. Be ready."

"Hold on a second," Sokka, who had been busy sawing through the ropes with his dagger, gave the firebender a meaningful look. "Who said she's going with you?"

"You think you can actually _beat_ me?" Zuko asked incredulously, even allowing a smirk to show.

"Who saved you from getting your stomach turned inside out?"

"Who saved you from getting your face mutated?"

"At least I can still live with a mutated face! If your stomach exploded from his kick, so would the rest of you!"

Glowering at Sokka, the prince took a step back and drew both of his fists.

"I'll take you on right now," he whispered dangerously. "And it won't take long until you're on the ground in a pool of blood."

Katara, who had been looking worriedly at them both during their fight, suddenly spoke up, scowling.

"No more fights!" she snapped, glaring at them both. "Can't we handle this in a mature and rational way?"

"_No."_

Both boys uttered the reply in a casual manner, but when they realized that they had both said the same thing, they gave each other a furious stare. A minute later, Sokka resumed cutting through the ropes, his dagger slashing through the material faster and more viciously than ever. Zuko, meanwhile, crossed his arms and kept a watchful gaze on Katara.

"Look," the waterbender at last sighed. "I don't want either of you to get hurt. Don't you get that? Don't you care about what I have to say at all?"

She then gave Sokka an all-too-familiar gaze, and the boy had to restrain rolling his eyes. It was a puppy look, he could see, the same one she had been giving him ever since she had been four. Of course, with her big, glimmering azure eyes and her youthful, innocent visage, he had to admit that she was extremely good at her craft, but after being witness to it for years, he had developed a partial immunity to it. Partial, though, and that was why he sighed and gave his sister a flat look in return.

"I'll think about it," Sokka told her after a minute. "But sometimes fighting is inevitable."

Katara gave him a pout before turning to give her prince the irresistible gaze, and Sokka smirked when Zuko stared back at her, not knowing how to react. After all, the firebender and the waterbender had only been together for about two years, too short of a time for anybody to get accustomed to Katara's manipulation. After a while, the prince let out a strangled sound and sighed, turning away with a scowl on his face.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Sometimes you're a spoiled brat, Katara," Sokka remarked as he was just about finish cutting the ropes bounding her shins and feet.

"Sometimes there's no other option," his sister replied calmly, and the brother just rolled his eyes.

"You're free," the seventeen-year-old declared after a moment, when all the ropes fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Sokka," the waterbender flashed him a small smile as he stepped back, making room for her to land on the ground and stretch. "Urgh, I'm sore all over…"

And it happened so fast. In what seemed to be less than a second, Zuko's ninja popped up from the bushes and darted to Katara. Before Sokka or Zuko could do anything about it, he grabbed the girl's waist and dragged her away, his speed incredibly swift as he slipped past the trees and exited the clearing. The South Pole native gasped; the prince swore. A moment later, they chased after the YuuYan archer, running as fast as they can. Because neither of them could bear it if something happened to Katara.

After a while, though, they lost sight of the archer, and the two stopped for a moment to regain their breath and look more closely at their surroundings.

"Where is he?" Sokka panted, leaning on a tree. "He couldn't have gone far, could he?"

"I'm not going to let him," Zuko replied steadily, clenching his fist.

The seventeen-year-old saw the banished one's eyes jumping from one tree to the next, perhaps thinking that the man was hiding himself and the waterbender from behind one of them. When Zuko finally spotted the two, it turned out that the archer had placed himself in a more convenient location. With a gasp, the prince pointed at where they were, and at first, Sokka couldn't believe it. They were… above them? He followed Zuko's finger, and he, too, gasped when he saw the YuuYan archer with his sister on a tall pine tree, yards above the ground. When he saw them staring at him, the man in black jumped to another tree, and Sokka was fascinated at how he could so gracefully hop from one branch to another without losing his balance at all. He was also horrified, though, because he knew that neither he nor Zuko could follow him like that. It would be suicide.

"What do we do?" he asked the firebender.

"We run after him," Zuko answered.

And with that, they continued their chase, dashing past the trees faster than before, because now they knew where the enemy was and was able to keep him in sight. Yet as the minutes ticked by, Sokka felt his legs tire, and was it just his eyes deceiving him… or was the archer becoming farther and farther away from them by the second? At this rate, they would never catch up to him, and Katara would be lost. The best thing to do would be to try to stop the man altogether without catching up to him.

"I'm going to throw my boomerang at him, okay?" he yelled at Zuko.

Hastily, he took his favorite weapon and stopped for a second to aim. In that short period of time, the archer managed to put a few more feet between them, but fortunately, it was not more, because when Sokka threw the boomerang, it did exactly what he wanted it to do; it flew right past the archer. Seeing him miss, the foe instantly turned his attention back in fleeing, but that was a dire mistake. A second later, the boomerang returned and hit him right in the face. The good thing was that he stopped, slipping and falling a few feet before he was able to grab a branch. The bad thing was… he had let go of Katara.

And the girl was now falling to the ground, and he and Zuko were too far to do anything about it.

"You idiot!" Sokka heard the prince scream at him, but the voice was somehow distant, because all the boy could concentrate on was his sister, falling to the unforgiving earth below.

But with a gust of wind, somebody unexpectedly appeared right next to Katara, and the South Pole native saw the small figure grab a hold of the girl before they both plummeted to the ground. Yet instead of hearing the dull sound of a crash, a burst of wind collided with the ground instead, and he felt a rush of air blow past him. A thought came to his mind, but it was impossible, wasn't it? It couldn't have been…

Zuko had long rushed past him to Katara's direction, and Sokka soon followed him, taking huge strides until he reached his sister. And when he arrived, he could only gasp. Zuko was nowhere to be seen, and in front of him, the girl was shaken but obviously all right, smiling meekly at him. And right besides her was the avatar himself, gazing at him with that tranquil look of his and appearing as if nothing had happened.

"Hello, Sokka," Aang waved at him. "It's so nice that we all happened to meet here."

"What are you doing here?" the second-in-command exclaimed.

"Sokka, that's no way to greet somebody," Katara told him, frowning. "Especially to somebody who just save my life." She looked flustered but happy. "Thank-you, Aang," she then whispered timidly to the airbender, who merely nodded.

"I went into your room and saw the note," he informed Sokka. "I hope you don't mind."

"No… I guess not. Wait," he became serious. "You have to know that Zuko was here. That means… he's nearby."

Katara bit her lip, evidently worried for the prince's sake, while Aang frowned.

"Zuko?" he said slowly. His eyes flickered downwards for a moment. "I guess that's no surprise, is it? But… we just have to keep a lookout for him. He shouldn't be too much of a threat. Anyway," the avatar turned around, "I need to get back to the castle as soon as I can. I can leave Katara to you, right?"

The firebender instantaneously crossed the mind of the South Pole native, but for now, it didn't seem as if Zuko was anywhere near. Besides, he couldn't keep Aang here for such a trivial reason. So he just nodded solemnly.

"I have my staff somewhere," the young monk mused out loud. "Probably still in one of those trees. It shouldn't take too long for you to get out of here; just go down the slope and you'll see the road in no time."

He took one last look at Katara, and her blue eyes hesitant, she gazed back at him. Sokka could feel the atmosphere change, could sense tension but something else lessening, too… perhaps… Soon, though, the avatar averted his gaze. With a wave of his hand, Aang jumped up, and with the help of some airbending, landed neatly on the top of a pine tree, only to jump to another. In a matter of seconds, he had completely vanished

"Let's go, Katara," Sokka finally motioned to her, and with a sigh, she appeared right next to him. Together they made their way down.

The boy tried to relax, yet he couldn't help looking at every direction, in case Zuko was there and determined to take his sister away from him. A few minutes passed before Katara glanced at him and smiled.

"Don't worry about him," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "He's not around here."

"How do you know?"

"Zuko didn't want to be seen by Aang," Katara told him matter-of-factly. "He knows if he and Aang fight, Aang will win and capture him. And he can't have that, can he?"

"I guess not," Sokka sighed, although having the prince in captivity wouldn't be so bad for him at all. "Anyway," he briskly changed the topic, "no more walks for you."

"What?" she stopped and frowned at him. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked her steadily, continuing past her. "You're not safe. I can't believe the guards didn't catch the archers in the first place."

The fourteen-year-old scowled at him before catching up.

"So something bad happened this time. It won't happen again," she pointed out, a little edge in her tone.

"How do we know? We don't even know why they wanted you in the first place!"

At this, Katara gave him an incredulous stare before raising an eyebrow and snorting.

"You don't know?" she asked him. "Sokka, they didn't want _me_! I was a bait, just like the last time!"

"What do you mean?"

An impatient sound escaped the waterbender's lips.

"They were obviously trying to get to Zuko!" she said loudly. "Couldn't you see that?"

"_What?"_

"Why else did they leave a note, Sokka? They wanted to lure Zuko to them!"

"And how did they know that Zuko would get the note? It was stuck on the door of your cell! It's not as if he goes there to have a little chat with you every night, is it? They could have been after me for all we know!"

Sokka dodged a tree and when he met Katara's gaze again, she had an annoyed expression on her face.

"When you were fighting," she tried to remain calm, although he knew that it was taking some effort, "I saw how the archers treated you both. Yours was going easy on you; he didn't really want to do any serious damage. But Zuko's opponent," she frowned, "he was going all the way. He was trying to kill him."

"He was going _easy_ on me?" Sokka asked; he was irritated now. "I really don't think so, Katara."

"You wouldn't have known, Sokka. You were too busy to compare! When the guy was shooting arrows at you, he was only aiming at your limbs! Zuko's archer was trying to pierce his heart!"

He was walking faster, and he was scowling. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure as he gazed coolly at the girl.

"Okay," he started quietly. "Let's say they were really after Zuko. Why would they want to kill him?"

At that, Katara hesitated for a moment before she slowly answered:

"He's from the Fire Nation, right? And he's the prince, too. He was probably the biggest threat left after the Fire Nation was gone! I mean… Zuko is the heir of its empire! He and only he can rebuild the Fire Nation and restore it! Some people may be afraid… that he's going to be the next Fire Lord Ozai! That means…" she frowned, and suddenly her eyes were suspicious, "the people who would want Zuko dead the most… are the avatar's men."

Sokka froze. His fists clenched. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet, dangerous:

"Are you accusing me?"

"No, of course not!" Katara hastily replied. "But… you got a search party for Zuko, didn't you?" The brother blinked at her, and that seemed to be enough of an answer to Katara, because she continued: "They might have set this up without you knowing it, thinking that they can tell you about all this after they take Zuko down! They may not know… that I'm your sister!"

"Impossible," Sokka quickly shot her idea down. "They wouldn't do something so stupid without asking me first."

"What about the last time?" she challenged, and he looked to the ground, too angry to admit that she was right about that. "It could have happened again, you know! And then… what about your promise?"

The waterbender looked accusingly at him. He glared at her, definitely regretting that day when he had been foolish enough to give his word to a prisoner. For a long while, they walked in silence, both in their own dark thoughts as the forest became less dense and the slope became gentler. At last, the second-in-command opened his mouth again, and his tone was cold, neutral.

"You remember that the YuuYan archers are from the Fire Nation, right, Katara?"

She hesitated before nodding reluctantly.

"The avatar's army would never sink low enough to correspond with Fire Nation filth. Besides, the YuuYan archers also back up the one other possibility you wouldn't even look at."

Slowly, the fourteen-year-old looked at him, astonished.

"They could have used you for bait, that's true," Sokka continued evenly. "But they could have wanted to lure… the avatar."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Needless to say, I am a very bad person. It's been what…? Two months since I updated? (Dodges tomatoes thrown at me.) I have plenty of excuses up my sleeve, and it would take another two months to hear them all, but I'll be nice (for once) and just bow down and say I am very, very, _very_ sorry. This chapter is up, though, and I hope you all have a great time reading it. I'm rather critical of my own writing these days, but I think this chapter turned out pretty well. Definitely lots of actions and maybe adding a few more twists to _Hardened Winds._

Thank-you for everyone who bothered to review the last chapter! It was the most reviews I ever got for a chapter of this story. I am extremely grateful and hope that I'll hear from you again. Although I wouldn't blame you if you decided to abandon this story altogether…

I'm going to get more dedicated, though. I'm planning to get a few more chapters out fast. Just hang tight and enjoy.

Thank-you. Sorry. Thank-you. Sorry.

Review if you're nice.


	14. Cold Tension

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XIII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Here's your food for the day."

Unceremoniously, Sokka tossed the small basket to her. Katara swiftly caught it, all the while frowning lightly at her brother. The boy, meanwhile, took a seat at the other end of the bench and looked away from her, making it was clear that he was still angry. She sighed. When Sokka had come to rescue her three days ago, she had seen her old, warm brother again, because he had cared then, cared enough for her to abandon his cold attitude towards her and to concentrate on what was really important, even teaming up with the enemy in order to set her free. But because of their last conversation (or rather… argument), it didn't last long.

And now the avatar's second-in-command was back, always keeping his guard up around her while his azure eyes once again held suspicion. Katara slowly took a sandwich from the basket and took an unenthusiastic bite. This was the first time Sokka had come to her ever since they had descended from Fenrir Mountain; the last two days, he had refused to see her, instead sending another man to give her the food. And what he had done… had hurt. She couldn't deny that.

She closed her eyes and then said the first thing that came to her mind:

"I'm sorry."

Abruptly, the second-in-command's head snapped up, and he stared at her.

"What for?" he asked after a moment.

"Because…" Katara paused for a second, thinking about how to arrange her words, "because I shouldn't have been… so mean last time -I shouldn't have complained or blamed you. We shouldn't have made each other angry then. I'm sorry."

Sokka gazed at her, his face expressionless, before he shook his head slightly.

"But you still think that the YuuYan archers came for Zuko, don't you?" he then questioned her quietly, and although Katara would have liked to snap that it was off-topic, she knew that it wasn't.

And she hated how he had so deftly cornered her. Because there was no denying the truth.

"Yes," she told him, and he scowled for a moment before his visage became passive once more.

"Let's deal with this rationally," he then said in a conversational tone. "If the YuuYan archers were working for someone who wants to kill Zuko, it has to be someone outside the Fire Nation. It has to be someone who hates the Fire Nation. So Question Number One is… why would this person –who wants to kill the Fire Nation prince- want to hire Fire Nation warriors?"

"Because the YuuYan archers will make it look as if it isn't him!" Katara cried, a little too loudly than she would have liked. "It's the perfect cover." And when Sokka looked at her skeptically, she continued: "Besides, the YuuYan archers –if what Zuko told me is true- used to work for the Fire Empire and no one else. Now that the empire has crumbled, the YuuYan archers don't have anyone to pay them. And they really need the money, right? They probably already left the Fire Nation to work for another big shot, or to do anything to make a living. Because it's obvious they're not really behind all this. They're just pawns of someone who's desperate enough to hire Fire Nation men."

Sokka frowned a little but nevertheless listened attentively. When she was done, he remained quiet for a moment, clearly thinking, before he spoke up his next question:

"How many people know…" now his voice became strained. "how… _important_ you are to the prince?"

The seventeen-year-old had a point there, Katara mused grudgingly.

"Probably just… our crew," she answered, looking down.

"And would they just tell this to anybody?"

Considering the fact that Zuko would roast anybody who even thought about doing so, Katara sighed and shook her head.

"Exactly," Sokka had a look of grim satisfaction. "And nobody can tell just by looking at you that you're from the Water Nation! No one in their right mind would think that a Water Tribe girl is with the despicable prince Zuko!"

At that, Katara glared defiantly at him, though he simply ignored her as he then said:

"See, Katara? It's very unlikely that the YuuYan archers were trying to get Zuko. Yes, you did have a point with how the YuuYan archers could be hired by anybody, but that's about it. Everything else about your theory does not make any sense. Besides, there's a flaw in your guess about the Fire Nation archers, too. Do you know how to get contact with them? Because I don't, and personally, I think it's very hard for anybody to set a deal with them, much less catch them. The only people who have a chance are those from the Fire Nation."

"It can still happen, Sokka!" the waterbender burst out angrily, but it was clear that he didn't believe her at all. And it was even more obvious that nothing she said would affect him either. Instead, she decided to target what he was thinking. "And what about them trying to get the avatar?" she asked, and her voice was taunting. "Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does," the second-in-command replied coolly. "The Fire Nation despises Aang. The best thing that can happen to them is the avatar getting himself killed."

"Yes, that makes sense," Katara agreed sweetly, nodding. "But why did they use _me_ as bait. I mean, I'm just a prisoner, and prisoners don't mean much to the avatar, do they?"

Sokka frowned, because even he must know that she was right about that. Prisoners did not make a good lure, and although she was extremely grateful that he had saved her life a few days ago, she distinctly remembered that he hadn't appeared into the scene until the very end. _He wasn't in much hurry to get me, was he?_ If the YuuYan archers had been truly trying to draw in the avatar, their plan had been weak. But it was most likely that they hadn't been trying to get Aang at all.

Katara was sure that she hadn't imagined it when the YuuYan archer had tried to aim his arrow at Zuko's heart, when he had tried to strangle him to death. Compared to that, Sokka had been practically unharmed. Someone out there was prepared to go through dangerous means in order to finish the firebender, and it was frustrating how her brother couldn't see that. Of course, since he and Zuko were on completely different sides, it wasn't in his place to care either. The fact didn't subdue her aggravation, though.

At last, the seventeen-year-old stood up, but instead of addressing her question, he headed towards the door. Before he slipped out, he turned to her again, and his eyes narrowed as he answered:

"Well, Katara. Some people might know what you meant to Aang. Some people… might not have forgotten about the past so easily."

----- ----- -----

"Did you and your search party go to Kali yet?"

"… No."

Sokka frowned deeply but didn't say anything. In front of him, Gloria looked worriedly at him, not knowing whether to go on. It was clear that her second-in-command was angry, and her answer had only infuriated him more. Biting her lip, the waterbender sighed and tried to relax in her chair. The two were presently in the conference room, the chamber in which the Resistance usually held their official meetings, discussing their next plan of action. However, now that they had won, the room hadn't been used at all, and because of that, Gloria had been surprised when Sokka had suddenly called her here. And she was also a little annoyed at how dusty it was. Who knew a place could acquire so much dust after such a short time!

The younger one, however, apparently had more important things on his mind. After a minute of contemplating, he looked at her in the eye.

"I want you to get Misaki and Asuka together as soon as you can," he spoke, his voice brisk. "I want you to organize your search party by today. And by tomorrow, I want you guys to go to Kali. To search everywhere in the village and maybe even look in the forests and the mountains."

He was using that tone again, Gloria noted. That official, neutral voice that he had only used during the war, when he had been talking to dozens of men instead of just merely a middle-aged woman. _It must be serious._ These days, Sokka had been deeply preoccupied in something, and the blond could only imagine what. However, she knew that things weren't going as planned; that was why the boy was so agitated in front of her. Relaxing would help him a great deal, but that was next to impossible. Yet perhaps… he would calm down if she succeeded in what she had to do.

"Can you do that, Gloria?" Sokka brusquely snapped her out of her thoughts, and she nodded solemnly.

"I believe I can, commander."

A slight grin appeared on his face when she called him that title, yet it soon disappeared as he dismissed her, obviously having other things to look after. Gloria sighed, praying that she could convince Misaki and Asuka to come with her tomorrow. Because she couldn't disappoint Sokka. Who knew what he would do then? True, he wasn't temperamental (thank the gods, the woman thought) but it was said that he could be pretty harsh and contemptuous once truly angered. It wasn't only that; Gloria had noted that his period of happiness after the war had lasted a rather short time, and although she didn't know why, she still wanted the boy to return to his normal, relaxed attitude soon.

She quickly stood up and exited the conference room, marching determinedly to Asuka's chambers. After crossing a few hallways and climbing the stairs, she was in front of the other woman's door. Now all Gloria had to think of was what she would say to get Asuka in her team. The egocentric warrior usually put on a fight when it concerned trivial matters such as these ("After all, no one's in any _danger,_ are they?" Asuka's mocking voice rang in the blond's head), but if she knew that Sokka was practically ordering her to…

Asuka wasn't exactly fond of the South Pole native, even though he _was_ the second-in-command and therefore had power over her. Gloria knew that the ebony-haired woman always had the boy's past flaws in mind when she met with him, judging him with those condescending eyes of hers. Even the waterbender couldn't forget the past, when she had first entered the avatar's service… only to meet a klutzy, loudmouth sixteen-year-old who claimed to be her second-in-command. _Not the best first impression,_ she had thought then. It had been clear since the first moment Sokka had tried to order her around that he had been no experienced warrior, and many of the avatar's new men had taunted him then, ignoring his orders and complaining about him behind his back and in his face. She herself had been distant to him in the beginning. After all, who couldn't help but look down at someone who was younger and more foolish than you yet had the authority to boss you around?

Thankfully, Sokka had quickly learned to adapt, to become a better leader. He had no choice, really. They had been deep in war against the Fire Nation, and one wrong decision from him could have ended up in a severe loss. His close bond with the avatar had helped inspire him, too. And in less than two months, he had transformed into someone Gloria could learn to respect, although it took a longer time for Asuka, who had always picked on the poor boy in the earlier days. And Misaki… Gloria stifled a laugh.

He had joined the Resistance a year and a half ago, a sullen teen who had shut the world to everybody, snapping at whoever had dared even looking at him. And he had immediately hated Sokka. Not that the latter had tried to like the former pirate either. Remembering their heated arguments and a near-bloody battle, it was almost a miracle that the two were so close now.

Gazing at Asuka's door, she was glad that Asuka presently respected their second-in-command… at least a little. Gloria was sure that Sokka's word would oblige her to join the search party. She then knocked softly; Asuka hated unnecessary loud noise. The waterbender did it once, twice… and when nobody answered, she began feeling irked. Even the arrogant woman behind the door wasn't cruel enough to just _ignore_ her. And that was when she began hearing voices from the other side.

"Nothing we're doing is working, Asuka!"

Misaki's voice. And it was becoming angry, Gloria knew. There was an ominous edge to it that only a pirate's voice could have, but why would the sixteen-year-old be disconcerted now?

"Yes, you're right. Nothing is working _yet._"

This was Asuka speaking, and as always, her tone was silky and controlled. However, it was clear that their discussion was nothing light. Eavesdropping was wrong, the blond knew, but she nevertheless pressed her ear to the door, because somehow she felt as if she had to listen to this.

"We should just stop this now," Misaki breathed, suddenly calmer, yet was there also desperation in his words?

"Why?" Asuka hissed. "So we can just leave the avatar unprotected? After all, we're the only ones who know."

"But we're doing all these things that we're not supposed to do!"

"Use all means to achieve your goal, that's what I say, Misaki. Especially if that goal is not only good, but crucial. Besides, if you haven't noticed, our dear second-in-command has no idea what he's up to."

"Don't blame it on Sokka!" The former pirate's fury was rising again, and this time, Asuka was wise enough to retreat.

"One more chance, Misaki, that's all that I'm asking," she then said, her voice abnormally gentle. "And then… we'll stop."

A long silence met Gloria's ears before she distinctly heard a sigh.

"Fine," the boy reluctantly replied, "do whatever you want."

As soon as he said that, there were footsteps, making the blond abruptly realize that he was heading right towards her. Any moment he would open the door, and he would see her and discover that she had been listening to their conversation all this time. Panicked, Gloria abruptly sauntered away, her shoulders straight and her chin high. When she heard the door close and Misaki entering the hallway, she could just imagine his astonishment as he stared at her. She looked rather strange, she knew, but it was the least suspicious walk she could muster. Because the boy knew that she usually marched like this when she was in the presence of someone she was angry at (Sokka had never failed to mention how stupid she looked this way), making Misaki's only conclusion was that she was giving him the cold shoulder.

And recalling the many times she had been furious at the sixteen-year-old, only for him to have no idea why, Gloria knew that suspicion would be at the bottom of his list. When she at last reached another corridor and escaped from Misaki's eyes, she let out a sigh of relief and leaned on the wall, deciding to relax and just go back on what had happened. Misaki and Asuka… they had been talking about something nobody else was supposed to know. A secret, and remembering how the other woman had brought the avatar into their discussion, Gloria could reasonably say that it was an important one, too. The two… they were apparently doing things behind everyone else's back, and Misaki's frantic tone… he and Asuka had obviously crossed the line a long time ago.

Yet didn't Asuka claim that they were essentially doing something good? If they really were, why not just inform everyone else about it? _The avatar… unprotected._ Especially if it concerned the avatar. It was all too confusing. Not that it helped that Gloria hadn't even managed to talk them into accompanying her to Kali tomorrow yet. It was discouraging to know that she would have to wait a few hours before trying her luck again. But she was sure that the next time she saw either Misaki or Asuka, she would look out for any strange behavior. Because Asuka was wrong at one point during their discussion.

_You _cannot _use all means to achieve your goal._

----- ----- -----

The Earth Nation wasn't as cooperative as he would have thought.

In fact… none of the nations were. Aang sighed as he leisurely walked in the hallway, feeling himself ache all over from what he had been doing these past days. Or what he had been _trying_ to do. True, it hadn't been any physical effort (the avatar was thankful for that), although his hand was rather cramped from all that writing. No, it was stress and mental exhaustion that was wearing him down. Because ever since a week or two ago, he had sent numerous letters to all four corners of the world, asking them about their status and offering his help. He had even sent money and much needed items to the Fire Nation, hoping they would be reasonable enough to at least accept his aid. He hadn't expected them to be entirely happy with him, but he had wanted them to know at least that they couldn't just shut themselves from everything else. Sadly but predictably, the Fire Nation had rebutted everything he had sent them, and surprisingly, it wasn't the only one who did so. Many Earth Nation villages were hostile to him for one reason or another, and the Earth Nation itself was too proud to accept much help from him, preferring to rebuild completely by itself. Apparently, nobody knew that without the airbender's support, history would repeat itself.

Aang let out another sigh, knowing that the Water Tribes were the only ones who were truly grateful for what he was doing. But they didn't have much choice, did they? The fourteen-year-old was planning to take a trip to Bai Sing Se soon; perhaps words that came from his very own mouth would convince the people that they couldn't just depend on themselves to return everything back to normal, back to the peaceful way they had been a century ago. Then again, a short, skinny fourteen-year-old didn't look too intimidating.

He was planning to take a short, relaxing walk outside to clear his thoughts. He needed at least a few minutes to just forget his duties, forget who he was… And there was a small feeling of anticipation deep within him, because he also wanted… The boy quickly shook his head. It wasn't right to feel that way. Especially in these circumstances. There was an intersection of corridors now in front of him, and he was about to take a right when he heard voices from the left hallway. A little curious despite himself, Aang cautiously peered into the hall, ready to withdraw at any moment. After all, the avatar could not be seen eavesdropping people. However, what he saw was rather surprising. Sokka and Misaki were yards away from him, and both seemed agitated and even a little angry. Aang was still too far to be able to catch the words they were saying, but he could still see his friend's frown and the former pirate's scowl. After a while, though, their voices were reduced to a hush, and a few minutes later, the two broke up.

The airbender blinked before slowly making his way to the right corridor, wondering what was that about. Yet it was probably just a trivial fight, he concluded in amusement. It wasn't the first time Sokka and Misaki had debated with each other like that, and it could have been worse, Aang knew when he reminisced the frequent explosions that had happened between the two of them a long time ago. And with that logic in his head, he rapidly forgot what had just happened as he finally saw one of the smaller exits of the castle in front of him. A moment later, he stepped outside.

The weather was colder than the last few days. There was no wind, but the air was empty and cold, reminding Aang that winter was coming. It wasn't long before he could see his breaths, and as he began strolling the castle grounds, he occasionally lighted a small fire in his hands to warm himself up. The avatar wasn't known to wear any warm attire, even in winter, and before he had been able to cope in almost any kind of temperature. But he was becoming more sensitive these days, which bothered him. Though it was most probably because he hadn't really been active after the war, not needing his bending as frequently as before.

But that wasn't exactly true. Just three days ago, he had climbed the Fenrir Mountain, hadn't he? And he had used his airbending to save Katara, hadn't he? Thinking about that day, he asked himself how the girl and her brother were dealing with it all. The note had sounded threatening and still nobody knew who had been behind the kidnapping in the first place. Aang had observed quite a lot from what had happened, hiding amongst the trees, and seeing the face of the YuuYan archer in his mind, he knew that the two simple warriors he had seen weren't the ones who had wanted Katara. Perhaps she had been just a bait, used to lure him… Should he organize a search party for the YuuYan archers, at the small possibility that they could be captured and forced to reveal who their true master was? It wasn't a bad choice, because any enemy of his should be taken seriously.

The world was as unbalanced as ever. Without the avatar, war could ensue once more. Nobody could afford that.

It was becoming colder, he could feel it, and at that moment, he saw Katara walking slowly to him, her head bowed down, probably oblivious that he was in front of her.

"Katara."

The word was out before he could stop himself, and the girl's head immediately snapped up.

"Aang."

She whispered the word softly, and gazing into her eyes, he could tell… that she didn't want to be with him now. There was uncertainty and fear in those blue depths, as well as an acute sharpness that pierced through him.

"I'm surprised that Sokka still let you out," he then commented, and she bit her lip, obviously not knowing whether to answer truthfully or not.

"Usually it's a guard who lets me out and brings me outside," she finally replied, looking down. "Then he keeps an eye on me from the distance." She pointed and Aang could see the sentry from far away, looking at her with suspicion. "Apparently, Sokka didn't tell him to stop."

The fourteen-year-old nodded, keeping his eyes on her and wondering what exactly was on her mind. And before he could say anything else, the waterbender blurted out:

"Aang, this really isn't a good time to talk. I'll… talk to you later, okay?"

His face unreadable, he watched her walk away from him. But as he ended his stroll and felt the cold slicing through his skin as viciously as ever, he had to admit that there was a new sensation swirling inside him, plunging him into a calm but chilling dark. It was a feeling he knew but hadn't acknowledged for an eternity, but now, seeing her leave, the sensation became forceful, obliginghim to recognize it. He felt, he felt…

_Lonely._

----- ----- -----

The boy was lying on his bed, his eyes semi-closed.

He was exhausted all of a sudden, and he didn't know why. His mind blurry, he stared at the ceiling, letting his eyes absorb the dull gray, feeling unsettled. He should probably be working now, but he didn't have the energy. Then he should probably be brainstorming, but he was sluggish, his arbitrary thoughts coming and going before he could grasp their meaning.

He closed his eyes and imagined how he was looking at this moment, immobile and fragile-looking. He saw a small, bald child, maybe even a little pale in the face, and he couldn't recognize himself. Because he was stronger than that, wasn't he? Yet the picture in his head did not go away, and it was sickening having to stare at himself.

All of a sudden, he sat up and jumped off his bed, heading towards his drawer and quickly opening one of the compartments, his hand rummaging for an unknown object. And there it was, smooth and small in his hands. He could feel the silky band tumbling from his fingers, its movements light and fluent. And as if on cue, he snapped from his daze and looked confusedly at what he was now clutching tightly.

_The necklace._

He presently feel the ridges of the charm, professionally carved and representing the fluent motions of waterbending. His eyes traveled from the beautiful cerulean color of the stone to the midnight blue cloth, wondering why he had kept this jewel in his position. Because it belonged to the enemy, didn't it? Yet he couldn't let the object go; something… something was always pulling him towards it, making it impossible to just abandon the necklace. It was something more than a simple piece of jewelry. The problem was… he didn't know what.

He remembered Katara. The look of distraction and indifference on her face as she had pushed him away earlier today. The unfamiliar glimmer in her eyes that was… resentment? Even hostility? She had been warm towards him just a few days ago, but had that been because she had had to? He had saved her the last time they had met, had rescued her just on time. But after that had already happened, it didn't mean anything anymore, did it? Because in real life, they would always remain enemies. The young monk knew that she wouldn't stay here long, that Zuko would free her at any moment, and then everything would go back to normal and he would be wiped from her mind, only to appear as the avatar –the foe- once more.

And that thought was rather dejecting.

He shouldn't be thinking about all this, though. He had more important matters at hand. He couldn't just change what was meant to be. And so he sighed, stared hard at the waterbender's prized possession again, and let it drop back to the drawer compartment before dragging his feet back to his bed. He fell on the soft mattress heavily, solely wanting to dispel everything he was feeling now. Weariness, confusion, sorrow…

_Just let it all disappear._

----- ----- -----

_The night was pitch black._

_He stared into the sky, afraid of the dark and hoping, praying to see a small sparkle of light in the celestial heavens above. But there was only the void, the emptiness that greeted him. And below him, there was ice and snow, beautifully white and cruel as it chilled his vulnerable skin. _

_He was on a cliff… somewhere. Was it the South Pole? The North Pole? Yet this foreign place was much more wintry, much more desolate, and its cold stifled him, pressing hard on him and threatening to devour him whole,_

_Meekly, he called out, his small voice echoing useless in the deserted valley. A sense of hopelessness overtook him when no one answered. When he realized that he was all alone. He couldn't fight the feeling –he didn't know how to- and the emotion gleefully crept on to him, dominating him slowly, torturously, until there was only ice within him._

_Huddling closer to himself, he closed his eyes, attempting in vain to keep himself warm, but it was already too late. The snow… it was freezing his skin, turning his outside into ice. It was a numbing agony, he mused, smiling distantly, a pain he had never experienced. Because the cold had never affected before, had it? But now it was striking back with a vengeance._

_It fed happily on everything he had, his questions, his grief… And the ice was closing in. _

_He was becoming a statue, but hadn't he always been? Yet his emotions remained, growing stronger and more nefarious, calm but ominous like the water all around him. _

_It was drowning him, cutting him off from everything, and he smiled amidst the dark. Because he should have expected this…. He should have…_

So cold… so cold…

----- ----- -----

His nightmares. They had come back.

Gazing at the starless sky from his balcony, shivering from head to toe, he knew that they were becoming worse –especially the last one. They had never truly vanished in the first place, had they? But why were they mocking him? Why were they pressing down on him? He didn't need this now; there was already too much going on.

Knowing the melancholy and the helplessness he always felt after his dreams were eagerly trying to rise to the surface, he could feel the tears coming up. He held them all back, though, grinning coldly when the ugly water didn't swell in his eyes, when his sadness retreated, leaving him feeling… nothing. Nothing at all.

His nightmares. They had come back.

But he was going to smother them down.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Haza! Two chapters in a row! Yeah, I know, it's still not enough to make everything up, but at least you guys know I'm trying. Sadly, it was awkward reading this chapter (I had a headache revising it), and hopefully it didn't turn out too bad. Once again, criticism is greatly appreciated. I know, not the most eventful chapter, but it's something to digest, is it not?

I just remembered one very good point a reviewer made to me. The main character of _Hardened Winds_ is supposed to be Aang, right? But why does his POV appear so infrequently then? Well, I'm experimenting with this technique, trying to portray the conflict that will deeply impact the main character mostly through the eyes of the more minor characters. You know… less is more? Or am I just trying to make an excuse for my lack of ability to incorporate Aang's thoughts? I don't know… but I admit that this factor has worried me. It's kind of too late to change it, though, because I have a concrete plot already in my head. However, if this really bothers you, feel free to say so in your review. It'll definitely help for my future writing projects!

Yeah, I didn't see any reviews for the last chapter yet, so I can't really give any thanks, can I? But if you're reading this, thank-you!

I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon, perhaps today even? I don't know… _soon._

Review if you're nice.


	15. Strings of Betrayal

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XIV_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, three figures met in the dark.

The winds were strong and the shadowed trees all around them looked ominous, angry. It was almost completely pitch black, but none of them were scared. In fact, they had more important matters to attend to.

"You failed." One finally said smoothly, yet angrily.

"Yes," one of the other two acknowledged coldly, "but we did what you wanted us to do. Now pay up."

The first one who spoke hesitated for a moment, apparently not wanting to let go of money when nothing had been truly accomplished.

"We didn't use our celebrated skills for nothing," the third person, who had so far remained silent, hissed.

After another moment of still silence, the first voice gave up reluctantly.

"Fine."

The tinkle of coins could be heard as they lightly bumped into each other and fell into the recipient's hands. All was quiet between the three as one of them began counting the money, and soon, the second person let out an outraged gasp.

"You promised more!" the third voice whispered harshly.

"Well," their client answered, contemptuous, "_you_ promised you would succeed. So we're even then."

And before the other two could strike, the guilty one had vanished, leaving them alone and furious.

----- ----- -----

"_I'm sorry, Aang."_

_The boy couldn't look up; he couldn't face them. He couldn't face anything. The fresh, verdant grass was damp, emitting a mild, fresh scent, and the cool, refreshing air tickled his skin. The weather was smiling down on him, spring clearly pouring down through the sun's warming rays, yet he was angry at it all. The scenery around him was supposed to be perfect, but how could it be when it had been so obviously touched by wretched, filthy hands?_

_Because right in front of him was freshly dug earth. And right below him were the corpses of his deceased parents._

_On his knees, the child grasped his arms, feeling a hollow inside him as he gazed at the small tomb, his eyes dully going over the epitaph again and again. They were stealing everything away from him –his very _soul_- and they were doing so piece by piece. He couldn't stand how helpless he was, not being able to stop them._

_He couldn't do anything, could he? He was merely a worthless five-year-old, crying over his parents' grave…_

_And perhaps, under all this earth, was a part of himself, too, so cruelly ripped away by them. _

_He felt a light hand on his shoulder, and tentatively, the boy turned around. Willing himself not to cry, his face broke when he realized that nobody was there. _

_His parents had been taken away from him. It had been planned since his birth that he could not keep them, he could not have them._

_But as if that wasn't enough… they had to get killed, too. They had had to be part of a gruesome accident in the Fire Nation days ago, and now the child didn't even have anything. His father… his mother… they weren't just away from him, they were… _Dead.

_And the simple, vicious word shattered him. _

_He reached out hesitantly to touch the glittering blades of grass, only to find out in horror that they decayed at his mere touch. Horror-stricken, he looked all around him, gasping when he realized that the grass below him had died, too, leaving behind their sickly yellow bodies. In turn, they turned to ash, ebony, blazing cinders that tainted his hands black as night. _

_It was his destiny, they had whispered to him so many times. It was his destiny that he should be separated from the ones he loved; it was his fate that he should always be all alone. _

_Everything he knew… everything he would attach even faintly to… He would lose them all._

_Every time._

----- ----- -----

The avatar's second-in-command wasn't in the best moods lately.

Annoyed with Katara and frustrated by the fact that he was still nowhere near to finding who the YuuYan archers were working for, Sokka had gradually descended back to his snappish attitude, and although he tried to control his temper, a few in the castle already knew to steer clear of him. However, despite everything that had happened, a part of him still tried to remain optimistic, having high hopes that Gloria and her party would soon find Zuko and therefore erase some of his worries.

Because without the prince free and at large, Katara would finally remain safe and sound in the castle with no one else trying to free her, and Sokka would only have to focus on the invisible enemy. And that was why the seventeen-year-old didn't take it too well when the next day, right after he had told Gloria to gather Misaki and Asuka to go out looking for the firebender, the waterbender returned, regretfully informing him that she could not start looking for Zuko today.

Turning his back on Gloria, Sokka gritted his teeth, his eyes on the wall as he stamped his feet and swore to himself. Nothing was going according to plan. A few days ago, he would have laughed if somebody had told him that there were enemies out there seeking his sister, because before, it had all been so simple. Keep the girl away from her prince, that had been his sole goal. Well… he had also wanted to coax her slowly into telling him why she had tried sneaking into the castle in the first place, but ever since Zuko had been attacked by one of his own men without permission, that other mission had been pushed away from his mind. And it was presently obvious that he wouldn't have time to get that piece of information out of Katara any time soon.

First there was Katara accusing him of breaking his promise. Then the aforementioned sister just _had_ to get herself kidnapped. And now it was revealed that there was someone out there who might want to harm her, the avatar, or… according to the waterbender… her precious Zuko. Whoever the stranger was after, he wasn't anyone Sokka wanted to be concerned about. And the former was hiding himself well. It aggravated the second-in-command that he could not find a trace of who he was looking for. What he needed was some cheering up, and the fact that he could not even get a small search party for a stupid banished prince only heightened his temper.

He then whirled around to face Gloria.

"And why," he asked slowly, trying to keep his tone light, "can't you go to Kali today?"

"Technically I can," she started quietly; she could no doubt sense the anger brewing inside him. "But Misaki and Asuka… that's another story. Asuka told me yesterday that she has other things to do today, and Misaki… it's strange," she paused, shrugging, before continuing: "He told me he could come with me. But when I came looking for him a few hours ago, I couldn't find him. So it's just me now. It wouldn't be too bad postponing the search for just one day, would it?"

She turned her hesitant eyes on the boy, making him he groan.

"I guess not," Sokka confessed grudgingly. "But what is up with Misaki? Asuka's always been hard to handle, I should have expected her answer, but Misaki? What is he _doing_?"

"Don't ask me," Gloria said casually, but she was clearly nervous.

Sighing and putting a hand on his forehead, the adolescent slowly made his way to the conference table and took a seat, feeling weary, irritated, and impatient all at once. _Misaki._ Hadn't he talked to his friend just yesterday? _And he wasn't acting exactly normal then, was he?_ a snide voice sneered inside his head. It was true, though; there had been something wrong with the former pirate when he had talked to the him, but when the older one had started poking into his business, Misaki had become annoyed. That hadn't been too surprising, though; the sixteen-year-old was very easy to provoke, but still… _What is he doing?_

Sokka distractedly picked off a small speck of dust on the table. The conference room was filthy; why hadn't he noticed this before? He should really clean the place up. However, a part of him prayed that he wouldn't need to do so, that he wouldn't need to use the room again. Chances of that were sadly unlikely, the boy knew, though.

"The guy is on my nerves," he at last announced, looking up to Gloria. "He has to know that he is part of the avatar's army. He can't just get absorbed in what he's doing and just forget his top priority! And of course, that is serving the avatar."

"You're right," the blond immediately concurred. "But…"

"Why is he always avoiding your requests? _My_ requests?" the South Pole native interrupted her, scowling. "He isn't usually this difficult to handle. And what can be so important that it takes his whole time? And why isn't he telling us what exactly is on his mind anyway? What stupid secrets a sixteen-year-old can have that's so great that he can't tell us? _Me?"_

"Actually, many," Gloria retorted coolly, yet Sokka was now too deep in his ranting to hear her comment as he angrily continued:

"And what about Asuka? That woman… she is always on my nerves! Thinking she's so great that she doesn't even need to listen to anybody around here… She and Misaki both! They're completely ignoring the avatar! The prince can be up to anything –it's important that we capture him! What can't they… understand that?"

He then clenched his fist and exhaled slowly before putting his head in his arms, suddenly tired.

"I'm so frustrated," he whispered, closing his eyes.

There was silence after that, and Sokka could feel Gloria's eyes on him. But what was she currently feeling towards him? Exasperation, maybe, even anger. Because the blond always got peeved when he got into his 'silly, little tantrums,' as she called them; after all, he was the second-in-command. He had to be cool and composed all the time. And it was during these moments that Sokka missed those carefree days he had had when he had been fifteen. Because then, he had been just Sokka, flying on a ten-ton monster's back with his sister and a hyper twelve-year-old. Yes, even then, he had been helping the avatar, but it hadn't been so official then. Aang… hadn't made it such a somber matter.

And when was the last time he had vented out his anger? Sokka couldn't remember, but… _I should have a right to just let it all out sometimes… right? _He felt his fury slowly fading away, and after a while, he heard Gloria sigh.

"Poor Sokka," she said rather gently.

She then petted him on his head, and he looked up to her and glared. True, he wasn't as old a she was, but he wasn't five either!

"Having trouble with your job?" the waterbender inquired mildly.

"You said it," the boy sighed, rubbing his head. "I can't… get anything I want."

"You want some pie?"

"Yes, tha-… hey!" Sokka abruptly stood up, giving Gloria an irate look. "I didn't' mean it _literally_, and you know that!" The woman stifled a giggle, and he continued: "Why can't I even get a simple search party? Why is it… that everything is beyond my reach?"

"I'm kind of guilty when it comes to the first question," the waterbender admitted. "But I really tried, Sokka. And I think… you shouldn't blame Misaki too much, either."

"Why not?"

"Well," she looked at him uncertainly. "He has a rather serious injury, and it may be because of that he can't come with me to Kali today."

"An injury?" Sokka stared at her, alarmed. "What kind?"

Misaki wasn't stupid enough to be mortally wounded and refuse to tell anybody about it, was he? Well, the sixteen-year-old wasn't the smartest teenager around, and the second-in-command would not tolerate the former pirate suffering unnecessarily.

"Well, I'm not sure if I really saw it or not (it was really hard to tell), but I believe it's a burn," Gloria replied. "A rather nasty one on his shoulder. I didn't ask him about it, though, because-…"

"_A burn?"_ he gaped at her.

"As I said before, I'm not _sure,_" Gloria said, but that was the least of Sokka's worries now.

"Gloria, you know where people get burns from!" the teenager exclaimed. "Firebenders! Misaki… he could have…"

"Now let's not jump to conclusions, Sokka."

However, the boy had long leaped from his chair. Before the woman could stop him, he was out of the conference room, his pace swift as he headed towards Misaki's room. Before long, his breaths came in pants, but he only quickened his steps, his mind frantically going through the possibilities. He sincerely hoped that Gloria had been mistaken about the former pirate's injury, yet if she wasn't… Sokka had no doubt that the burn had been inflicted by a hostile firebender. But how had that happened exactly? Why hadn't Misaki told him? Well, the younger one's pride might have contributed to his silence, but…

As he was climbing the staircase to the fifth floor, the seventeen-year-old unexpectedly saw Aang sauntering quickly towards him. Sokka raised a hand in greeting, but when the fourteen-year-old passed him by without a word, he frowned… at least until he realized that the airbender's head was down. Apparently, he hadn't seen the South Pole native's wave. Turning around, he yelled out to Aang, this time certain that the monk would turn around and acknowledge him back. He was astonished (and even irritated) when the avatar did not return his shout and did not even bother to look at him, merely continuing his way down. _What's with him?_

Aang had never ignored him. No matter how busy the airbender was, he always had time to greet Sokka, to smile every now and then when his best friend was there. And now… He shook his head. He didn't have time to worry about this. He should be concerned about Misaki's burn instead, and his mind once again on his goal, he swore that he would give a good chastising to the sixteen-year-old the moment he would lay eyes on him.

----- ----- -----

Tonight, she was going to escape. And this time, there would be no mistake.

Katara sighed and eased herself up from her lying position, rubbing her aching sides as she made herself comfortable on the hard, stone bench. Hard to believe that she had been practically living in this dreary condition for about two weeks already. She shivered, partly in disgust… but mostly from the cold that always managed to slither through her window and chill her to the bones. But it was getting worse, because every night, the temperature dropped some more, and Katara knew that winter was coming. She couldn't live like this for long.

And thankfully, she wouldn't. Katara smiled to herself and leaned back. Zuko had come to her just a few nights ago to tell her that he would free her tonight, and this time, the waterbender couldn't wait. Because she wasn't in the best terms with her brother, and there was no reason –no incentive- for her to stay here any longer. True, she would be leaving behind those she cared for, but she would deal with that. Besides, it shouldn't be too hard; Sokka would not miss her and Aang… His name raised doubts. She hoped he wouldn't be too affected by her escape.

Plus, Zuko hadn't mentioned his first idea of murdering the avatar for an eternity. Katara felt it safe to conclude that the prince had forgotten all about it. So she wouldn't be guilty of anything… not this time. She would be leaving, and nothing would change. The firebender had said that the moment she was free, they would both embark on a ship to the Fire Nation. When that happened, Zuko wouldn't be in any more danger from an invisible enemy, and Sokka… he could stop worrying. So in the end, everything would work out.

Just then, she heard the familiar rustle outside, and the girl knew without a doubt that it was her rescuer. Smiling to herself, she got up from her bench and stood next to the window, straining her ears for the approaching sound and anticipating the moment she would see the all-too-familiar head of her prince. But as the minutes ticked by and Zuko still did not appear, Katara began to worry. She was sure that he had taken less time to reach her the last time he had come, and the noises she heard… they were louder and more reckless, as if… as if he was struggling? Panic gripped her as she realized that something was wrong.

"Katara… are you there?"

A little shriek escaped the fourteen-year-old's throat when she finally saw Zuko's shadowed face behind the bars of the window. A moment later, she sighed in relief. So nothing had happened. She grinned at the boy and stepped closer, but when she properly looked at him, she gasped, appalled. The moon was partially showing tonight, and although its light wasn't truly strong, it still managed to shine a little on Zuko's facade. It was a small sliver of gray light that only let Katara see a part of his visage, yet it was enough for her see what she needed to know.

"Wh-… what happened to you?"

The banished one scowled, and she reached a comforting hand out to him. There were gashes and scars everywhere on Zuko's face, all deep and horrid, seeming to mutilate his features. One of his eyes was purple and squeeze shut while a longer scar that stretched all the way from his cheek to his neck still bled openly, staining the boy's face and his clothes crimson. His visage was pale and a grayish tint, making it clear that he was hurting.

"I have them everywhere," Zuko retorted bitterly, looking away. The waterbender stepped back, aghast.

Her worst fears had been confirmed. She was frozen in place, a clammy cold spreading through her insides like a deadly virus. She couldn't help but stare at him in horror, gripping her arms as she imagined what had happened… and how it could have been worse. She was scared for him, and what made her afraid the most was that Zuko… he didn't seem to know the emotion of fear himself. By the furious look on the boy's face, Katara knew that he only had revenge on his mind, that he was too proud to think that he was in any danger. She had to be frightened to death for both of them; she had to look after him. Because if he died this way…

She felt like a glass statue. Still and fragile. Because she couldn't do anything, and the moment something truly terrible happened, it would all be over.

"How did you get them?" the girl demanded at last, and Zuko sighed.

"Ambushed," he answered, his voice deadpan. "I was wandering away from Kali, doing some thinking, when two people in black suddenly attacked me. And no, they weren't the YuuYan archers," he quietly told her when he saw her feared expression, "because they were even better fighters than them. And more dangerous. I should have been able to beat them, though," Zuko mused out loud, and his grip on the bars tightened, "but I wasn't ready to fight. And the YuuYan archer I fought with last, he gave me quite a few injuries… But that was no excuse. In a way, I deserve what I got."

"Don't say that!"

"In the end, I got away," the prince shrugged. "But those guys… they were serious."

"They wanted to kill you, Zuko," Katara said quietly, and he let out a low, mirthless laugh. He wasn't surprised.

Rapidly, the girl then told him about her theory about the YuuYan archers. Although Zuko more or less believed her, he still had his own doubts, which annoyed her greatly. She was right –the firebender couldn't just think properly and mind his own safety. Sokka was never able to do so either, and in a way, those two were the same. _Idiots blinded by pride. _It didn't help that she was the one who would be worrying sick over him from now on.

"I can't get you out tonight," the eighteen-year-old suddenly cut through her thoughts, his voice heavy with regret.

"It's more than okay," she soothed him. "You're in no condition to save anyone anyway."

"Don't say that."

Katara smirked, and Zuko gave her a quick scowl.

"Be ready, though," he whispered, "because neither of us are safe now. I'm not sure when they'll try to attack me again, so I can't warn you ahead of time when we'll escape anymore. Soon, very soon, I'm going to come again, and the next time I'm here, we will get out of here. All right?"

"All right."

The boy was about to descend from the wall when Katara unexpectedly stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "I need to ask you one more question. The people who attacked you… do you –by any chance- know them? I mean, are they familiar?"

Zuko gave her a wry smile.

"Funny you should ask," he whispered, "because one of the two… I'm completely certain… attacked me before. He was the one… who stopped me the first time I tried to rescue you."

The waterbender was at loss for words, and apparently knowing that there was nothing more to say, Zuko disappeared from her window a second later. Slowly, Katara walked back to the bench, her face expressionless as she lay down and closed her eyes. Something had changed, though, because she felt something more than fear now. There was anger, too, and its blazing heat took her over, spreading like wildfire inside her until all her other feelings were suppressed.

Inside this very castle was the enemy. As well as a shattered promise.

----- ----- -----

Sokka hadn't seen Misaki for two whole days.

The sixteen-year-old hadn't been in his room when the second-in-command had sought him out after his conference with Gloria, and since then it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth. True, Misaki _had_ left a note saying that he was off on an important errand, but what could that be really? It had been the first time he had done anything like this, and Sokka didn't like it a bit. No one had any idea where Misaki had gone. He had hated to hear Asuka's subtle taunts when he had informed the woman about the former pirate's disappearance.

"_Misaki's gone? But I thought it was the duty of the second-in-command to keep track of _everybody."

She had been particularly venomous these days, a snake coiled snugly in its darkened lair and waiting for a prey to bite. However, Sokka had a good idea why. Without anybody to beat up, Asuka often became restless, turning to her fellow colleagues for sport. It was pathetic, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could probably report the problem to Aang, but remembering how his friend had ignored him the other day, he doubted that the avatar would look into it, much less resolve it.

So Sokka had been furiously searching for his temperamental friend for two days. By now, he was even prepared to go into Kali and pull Misaki out of whatever 'errand' he was doing, but that proved unnecessary when Sokka knocked on Misaki's door on Day Three, finding that this time, he at last received an answer.

"Hello, commander," the former pirate yawned and grinned dazedly when he opened the door, peering at Sokka through his messy bangs.

It was obvious that the younger teen was exhausted, the seventeen-year-old noted. His movements were slack and both his clothes and his hair were disheveled. Sokka raised an eyebrow, the apparent question burning on his tongue.

"Hello, Misaki," he nodded towards his friend, "I haven't seen you for days. Where… have you been?"

At this question, Misaki rapidly straightened his back while his eyes became suddenly wide open and alert. He gazed intently at Sokka for a moment before saying quite evenly:

"At Kali's market. I was looking for something."

"And that thing was important enough for you to stay in the village for two nights?"

The seventeen-year-old gave Misaki a meaningful look, because that was truly a pitiful excuse. When the castle of Omashu was only a few miles away, why bother to stay in Kali at all? Something was definitely up. The younger boy scowled at him before shrugging his shoulders.

"I decided to stay there for two nights because I felt like it," he replied, his tone considerably cooler. "But if you must know, I stayed with a friend of mine for the last two days. He's a pirate and we used to raid ships together," at that he smirked, "and when I commented on his remodeled ship, he invited me to stay for a few nights. Just to remember the feel of being who I was."

"Pirates aren't welcome in the village of Kali," Sokka pointed out, his own voice a little cold despite himself, "and I doubt your friend could have managed to keep his vessel there for two entire days."

"Whatever you say, _commander."_ Misaki was using his mocking voice, and the last word was spoken out with contempt.

"What have you been up to, Misaki?"

"Is that really your business?"

"I'm second-in-command of the avatar. I should more or less know the affairs of my men. Especially if they are acting strangely."

"You think I'm acting strange, do you?" the sixteen-year-old drawled, taking a menacing step towards Sokka. "Well, maybe because I'm a pirate, and I don't act as civil as you land-lovers! And just because I'm acting just a little weird, it does not mean I'm involved in some kind of murder or anything!"

Misaki glowered at him, and the latter sighed before staring gravely at him. His friend was referring himself as a pirate again. This meant that his temper was really starting to rise. But if Sokka wanted to know what the adolescent had been up to recently, he had to stir up the other's fury. And, he barely contained a smile, he was rather good at doing that.

"You have a burn on your shoulder," he then remarked casually.

Misaki stopped and looked at him, his face becoming even paler before he scowled at his second-in-command, a hard glint definitely in his verdant eyes.

"No, I don't," he retorted, his face murderous.

"Oh, yeah?" Sokka said, his tone nonchalant. "I guess it wouldn't hurt then… if I tried to touch your shoulders, right?"

He reached out a hand, but Misaki instantly jerked away from him. The sixteen-year-old was glaring at him, gritting his teeth, yet there had been a flash of panic in his eyes, Sokka was sure of that. So Gloria hadn't been wrong; Misaki had been burned. But how… and why…? He was intent on finding out.

"Don't lie. You've been hurt. You have been fighting… with a firebender, haven't you?" Sokka shot out his question, advancing on his friend, and when Misaki's eyes widened, he knew he had hit something.

"Yes, I have," he confessed at last, giving his senior a defiant look. "So what? I am one of the avatar's men. Isn't my duty to pick fights with firebenders?"

"Not when you do it behind my back!"

His voice was harsh now, impatient. A second later, he was grasping Misaki's arm tightly, his cerulean eyes piercing through the other's emerald ones as he whispered:

"Who is it, Misaki? Who's the firebender… you've been hiding us from?"

And abruptly, he was hit by a terrible possibility. He remembered when Katara had first challenged him with his promise (that had been… how long ago?), when Zuko had been mysteriously attacked by one of his own at night. Could that have been Misaki? Had the former pirate been foolish enough to pick a fight with the prince, and ever since then, had he been arrogant enough to go hunting for Zuko himself? It wasn't impossible, but there were some missing ends. Misaki wasn't Asuka. He wasn't so resolute when it came to personal revenge. Yet… who else could have attacked his friend in the first place, now that the war was over?

While Sokka had been deep in his conflicting thoughts, the sixteen-year-old had unleashed a string of violent and offensive curses. Only when the South Pole native redirected his attention back to him, giving him a furious stare, did the boy quiet down. For a moment, they glared at each other, and Sokka decided to drop the bomb.

"The firebender," he began slowly, "it was the prince, wasn't it?"

When Misaki stepped back with a horrified expression on his face, Sokka knew that he hadn't been wrong. The other _had_ been battling with Zuko!

"Why?" he then barked out, his grip on the younger one's arm tightening. "Why did you keep looking for Zuko, Misaki? Even after… when he gave you that burn that night?"

"How did you know that?" the adolescent gasped.

"I have my sources," Sokka said quietly, "now tell me. What were you doing these days?"

In one furious motion, Misaki wrenched his arm free, and he gave at his second-in-command an enraged look before shouting fiercely:

"You want to know what's been going on, commander? Then I'll tell you everything! Because you obviously… have no idea what's been happening!"

"What are you talking about?"

Misaki clenched his fist, his face a storm.

"I've only been looking for the prince," he explained, his voice becoming calmer, "because you can't do it yourself. And that Zuko is more dangerous than you think."

"_What?"_ Sokka, by now, had no idea what the former pirate was talking about.

"You don't know, don't you?" the sixteen-year-old breathed. "He's been conspiring. And with who else but that dear prisoner of yours, Sokka. How many times did he talk to her since she was captured, do you know? Well, more than once, that's for sure! They've been having their secret meetings for weeks now!"

The color drained from the seventeen-year-old's face.

"No…"

Hadn't Katara told him that she hadn't been in contact with the firebender? But –and this was when he felt angry with himself- she was his prisoner, and she was bound to lie. Then why had he taken her word to heart? He had trusted her, and she had… She had _lied._ His own sister! And she had been ranting on about his promise for how long now? Yet…

"How do you know this, Misaki?" Sokka asked, scowling.

"I've been patrolling the third floor for a while," he replied coldly. "And I hear voices in her cell now and then. You see, your prisoner isn't as harmless as you think she is. There are probably secrets of the castle she has discovered, and they are in the hands of the prince now."

There was no refuting the other's logic. It was clear that Misaki had been guarding the third floor, because how else had he gotten into his first fight with Zuko? And it was entirely possible that he had heard his sister and the prince talk while he had been at her cell's door. Sokka glanced at the former pirate's furious face, knowing that no matter how mad he got, there was no reason for the latter to lie about all this. So that left only one horrible explanation, and he felt anger bubbling inside him, a ferocious emotion that was directed to that treacherous sister of his.

He had thought before that she had remained more or less the same Katara he had known for years. But he had been wrong. She had transformed into a different person over time. A liar… a traitor. Misaki was right. She knew information from directly within the avatar's headquarters, and she had probably passed all she knew to Zuko. And the prince… he was the biggest enemy now. And he had an insider in the very core of the avatar's castle!

When Ozai had been captive here, Sokka had dreaded the small possibility of him being able to escape, to destroy the Resistance from the inside out. Now it seemed as if his worst fears had come true. Except it wasn't Ozai who would be doing this, it was his son. And he had been aided by Katara, someone whom he had just assumed he could trust. But he had been so sure about the past that he had forgotten the present, and because of that… who knew what would happen.

"Well," Misaki's cutting voice dragged Sokka back to reality, "now that you have everything you need to know… Get. Away. From. Me."

And with that, the former pirate gave him a contemptuous look before slamming the door in his face. Yet the second-in-command didn't care about that. He was fuming, enraged that he had been fooled –_played_- by his sister, and he swore that he would make her pay. As he practically ran to the third floor, he reprimanded himself for not knowing better. He should have known, after all. Wasn't his sister the same cold-hearted person who had betrayed Aang two years ago? How could he have let her go through his defenses?

He didn't care about Zuko and his own damn promise. The banished prince could be burned alive for all he cared, and why keep his word when Katara obviously hadn't kept her own? In fact, Sokka was glad that there was someone else out there –the one who had hired the YuuYan archers- who hated the firebender, too. Perhaps he would be able to get rid of the boy, and everything would end happily.

A few minutes later, he reached the waterbender's cell, and he snatched his key from his pocket before violently inserting it into its hole. A moment later, the door was wrenched open, and Sokka glared at the prisoner in front of him. He was a little unsettled when the girl glowered at him back, but he didn't have the time to concern himself about that.

"You-…" The boy had trouble finding the words that would suitably describe her, but Katara beat him to it.

"You completely broke your promise! Don't you care at _all_?"

"You know what," Sokka said, his anger flaring up, "no, Katara… I don't care at all. I don't care about a pathetic, lying traitor like you!"

Surprise registered on her face before she stood up and clenched her fist.

"What are you talking about?" she asked heatedly. "I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, yeah, you're innocent all right. So, dear sister," the boy leaned on the door, "how long have you been communicating with your boyfriend behind my back?"

Katara gasped and stumbled back, and the brother briefly let a satisfied smirk show on his face before he drew up this full height and crossed his arms.

"How many times have you talked to Zuko already?" he asked derisively. "How many times have you lied to me?"

"Okay, so I lied once," the fourteen-year-old snapped. "Does that matter?"

"Of course, it does!" he all but yelled at her. "Who knows what you told him! I don't know how much you learned about our Resistance since you came here, but I know that you've been sharing it all with Zuko! For all I know, he knows everything about us now!"

"Don't be silly!" Katara told him. "I didn't tell him anything!"

"How do I know? How do I know that you're not lying like you always do?"

"When did I 'always' lie, Sokka?"

"Ever since… you changed and turned your back on us! On everyone who loved and trust you!"

Another gasp escaped her lips. She seemed seriously shaken by his last statement. It only lasted for a second, though, before she took a step forward.

"I might have changed," she started, breathing heavily, "but you did, too! Since when did you stop caring about your promises? Since when did you just let anyone sneak under your nose and attempt murder?"

Katara was right, but it was not in her place to tell him this. Her previous statement only provoked him more.

"Well, since when did I hold back on the enemy just because of a prisoner's say-so?"

"So I'm just a prisoner now, aren't I?"

Sokka's eyes narrowed and he abruptly turned around. He couldn't stand to look at her for any longer.

"Yes," he murmured, "yes, you are."

And he slammed the door shut.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Wheee! An eventful chapter at last! And a rather mature author delivering it, too! Yeah, I've had so many people looking down at me because of my innocent ways to express my happiness. Anyway, I think this chapter is rather good, and can you feel the rising action? Hehe. Enjoy and I did pretty good today, hm? Three chapters put up in a single day. Yeah, I know, I'm still way behind, but I am gradually starting to win your hearts once more, right?

Yeah, I'm deluding myself here, I know.

Review if you're nice.


	16. Revelation

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XV_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sokka and Katara weren't speaking to each other.

Ever since their brutal argument, the second-in-command had given up his duty of giving food to the girl, instead telling one of his younger colleagues to do it for him. Furthermore, he had told the sentries that his sister wasn't allowed outside anymore, in case she decided to sneak out of the castle behind his back. These days, Sokka was in a foul mood, and he directed all his anger at the waterbender. He figured it didn't matter too much, because she was only a captive, and she deserved it all.

Katara, meanwhile, wasn't so happy either. She hated how she was now stuck in the castle, unable to even get out of her cell, and she soon resorted to waterbending to calm her nerves. Before she had thought she had been unable to waterbend, since there was no water at all around her, but she soon was able to draw water directly from the air, which was a feat she had been trying to do for years to no avail… until now. She lashed out her attacks to the wall, all the while praying that Zuko would come back soon. She couldn't stand any of this anymore.

In the way, brother and sister were the same. So convinced that they were right, so driven by their emotions.

----- ----- -----

The door wasn't locked.

Hesitantly, Gloria stepped into the room, her expression timid as she gazed at her surroundings. And sure enough, she saw what she had expected; the earth walls were scarred with sword marks and his bed was a mess, his sheets all crumpled as they lay scattered, some on his ruffled bed and a few even on the dirtied floor. She was surprised that there weren't thrown clothes all over the place, but she knew that he wasn't a child, after all. There were limits to how the boy could lash out. And she smiled knowingly to herself before turning her eyes to the figure right in front of her.

His back was towards her, his eyes lingering on the window, and when the waterbender approached him, she could have sighed in relief when she saw his face from the reflection of the clear glass. His façade was serene now, his mind completely focused on the lackadaisical, soft clouds above, and he was like the calm after the storm. It seemed strange that the boy was gentlest after he had vented out his anger, but Gloria was glad, because that meant it would be easier to talk to him. It took a few minutes before the sixteen-year-old realized that he wasn't alone.

"Gloria?" Misaki at last turned around, and she couldn't tell whether he was irritated by her presence or not until he gave her a weary smile.

"Hello, there," the woman greeted him pleasantly, returning his smile as she sat on his bed. "This is quite lumpy, you know. How can you sleep on this thing?"

He sighed.

"This is not the reason you came here," he accused her, and she could only grin, shaking her head.

"I want to know if you're all right," Gloria told him gently. "Sokka… he told me what happened. He also told me you were angry."

Misaki scowled before sighing again.

"I'm always angry, aren't I?" he then said sarcastically, making the blond shake her head and laugh. "But yeah, I got _really_ angry three days ago."

"So angry that you locked yourself in your room and bit the head off anybody who dared to come near?"

"Shut-up, Gloria."

She smiled smugly, and the boy glared at her.

"Anyway," she then started, her tone serious again, "Sokka is right in a way. You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have been so rash and tried to get the prince for yourself. You could have been seriously injured, and besides… who said that we wanted the firebender dead?"

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Misaki muttered.

"What came over you?" Gloria ignored him, continuing her reprimand. "The Resistance works as a team, and you always knew that. Why did you suddenly forget after the war? Our job isn't done, you know; that's why we're still here. And the most important thing is… why look for the prince yourself when you were _supposed_ to look for him with Asuka and me? What's the difference?"

Giving her an annoyed stare, the sixteen-year-old said nothing for a long time, his gaze flickering from her face to his room until finally, he looked at her steadily and asked:

"Are you done with your lecture yet?"

A pillow thrown at his face was his answer.

"At least answer my last question," Gloria retorted crossly, giving him a flat look.

"It just wasn't the same," Misaki whispered, turning away from her. "There was something… I had to do."

"And that was?" the woman inquired, concerned.

"It's… just too complicated." She saw his fist clench. "I told Sokka only half the story, because for real… I did other things… other things he would have never thought I could do. But it's all over now," he sighed in relief, and when he turned to lock his eyes with hers, there was a pleading glimmer within the vivid green depths. "It's all over."

Gloria was speechless. After all, what Misaki had told her had been confusing, on the brink of not making any sense at all, but his previous speech had proved that he had been hiding something from her –from everyone- all this time. Sokka had informed her that the sixteen-year-old had patrolled the third floor these days, had looked out for the prince, and had even had a fight with the firebender a while ago. But Misaki had said that he had done more than that. But what could that be?

But it was now all over, wasn't it? The waterbender still needed to know, though, and she stood up and went to Misaki, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell me," she began quietly, "what happened."

He hesitated, glancing at her, but in the end, he shook her hand off.

"It's… just too complicated," he repeated, sighing. "I'm sorry, Gloria."

Avoiding her quizzical gaze, he left her alone in his room then, closing the door behind him and leaving the woman puzzled, suspicious, and… _worried._ There had been a quietness in Misaki's voice that had been abnormal, chilling. And perhaps she hadn't emphasized how much she needed to know what he had been doing, Gloria thought as she, too, exited the room. Maybe she should have shaken his shoulders, should have tried harder to make him see… because she had to know _what was going on._

----- ----- -----

She felt like a lifeless corpse.

Sluggish and almost unfeeling, the girl lay immobile on the cold bench, her eyes closed as her breaths came out light and slow. There was nothing she could do now but wait for Zuko to show up, to free her from this disconsolate place. And perhaps then the sudden numbness she felt inside her would go away, the little void that had ripped open ever since Sokka had yelled at her… a few days ago? A week ago? She hadn't seen him for a long time, and it both annoyed and saddened her. Had this been the first time… their hostility had lasted this long? She had no idea.

Sokka had used to always realize he was wrong within a day or two. And occasionally, she allowed a small smirk to show, she had been the one who had been forced to acknowledge a mistake she made. However… no matter whose fault it had been… the two had always been able settle their differences in a fairly short amount of time. And now… was it so different now that her brother would refuse to talk with her forever? They were on different sides, it was true, but was that how he would see her from now on? An agent of the Fire Nation only? The thought made her depressed.

The boy was an idiot. The girl would never deny that. But he had had a point that day, too. She had lied to him, and she was presently feeling extremely guilty because of it. But why had he been so angry? He must have known… that she would _never_ sell Sokka's -_Aang'_s- secrets out so easily to the Fire Nation… even if it was for Zuko. She wasn't that low, and she still remembered the past.

_Oh… really?_

The snide voice was back, and she scowled to herself, remembering what she had done two years ago…

"_Katara… what are you doing?"_

"_You… you can't be serious!"_

"_Why… Katara…. why are you doing this? Why… after everything… I-…"_

His youthful face. Streaming with tears. That image had haunted her for months, and it had taken a lot of her willpower for her to make them stop. But now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't erase him from her mind anymore. The avatar… he had been so different from his normal, happy-go-lucky self when she had seen him in that cell, and it had almost broken her heart. Almost, though… because then… hadn't she been convinced that she had been doing the right thing? Zuko had used the right words, the right gestures, to make her believe that his nation had meant no harm, but now that she was free from his influence, alone and melancholy in her prison, she had to admit that it couldn't have been right… not entirely. Not when she had broken Aang down like that.

His eyes. They were a pale gray now, wintry and with an empty feeling brewing deep inside. It was so different to what she had seen in them before when….

"_Hey! Look at this, Katara!"_

"_Wherever we're going, I guess it's near water."_

"_Tada! The marble trick!"_

"I never wanted to be the avatar, but… if it means I bring hope, I guess… it isn't too bad."

They had shone then, those enthusiastic eyes of his, and his smile had been real, too. Sokka, she thought about him, he probably believed that _she_ had extinguished the avatar's light, and she could see now… that he was most likely right. But her brother… he didn't know that she had changed more than one life with her decision from that summer's end. Because she knew she had also force-fed Sokka a cruel dose of reality that day. He was more on his guard than ever as Aang's second-in-command, and he wasn't as carefree as he had been before, happy enough to act ignorant and not care about it. He had transformed into commander instead, being obliged to carry a heavy load on his chest, and that had made him… what? The waterbender sighed. Her brother was more formal, more wary, and more tired than she had ever seen him.

He would probably not say anything stupid again without severely chastising himself. It was hard to imagine that there was a time, she grinned softly to herself, when he had just so freely said what was on his mind:

"_Okay. Let's go find your boyfriend."_

"_I can't get beaten up by a girl! Besides… they snuck up on me!"_

"_I just took their side because they fed me."_

"Yeah… we're all going to get eaten by a big monster."

Had everything… nearly fallen apart because of her? The girl buried her face in her arms, not knowing what to think. Hadn't she been the center of the trio two years before? Hadn't she been the one who had been closer to Aang and Sokka both? The notion made her feel even guiltier, but remembering the present, she told herself that everything was still all right. Sokka… he was handling himself just fine, ignoring her (at that, she frowned). And Aang… he should have at least recovered from her betrayal; it was a simple fact that he would never forgive her.

Soon, Zuko would come and get her, and she wouldn't have to think of…

What could have been.

----- ----- -----

Sitting besides his desk, furiously writing letter after letter, Aang could swear that he was catching a cold.

His skin was paler than usual, clinging to his bones and looking unhealthier than it had ever been, and he was always cold now, the chilling feeling slicing through his skin like daggers, becoming more vicious by each day. It also appeared as if even his insides were been depraved from warmth, because he felt a black hole inside him, brooding silently and making him feel strange, queasy and dizzy at the worst times. But maybe it wasn't because of his sickness that he was feeling empty. These days, with so many duties to perform and no company whatsoever, the avatar felt desolate. This new sensation bothered him, because it was new and taunting, plaguing him with a melancholy mood that he would rather not have.

Sokka was ignoring him, too. They had crossed each other's path many times during the last week, and although there hadn't been a time then when they had had to talk to each other, the fourteen-year-old could see by his friend's distant eyes that the other was avoiding him, hesitant and even guarded. Yawning and stacking away another letter he had just finished, the airbender sighed. Loneliness. The cursed emotion was slowly consuming him, and he hated that. He detested how it made him feel weak, as if he had to cling onto something –someone- to live. And there was something else, too. There was something… missing… deep inside him, and it was calling him, its soft, indistinct voice from far away. And he wanted to silence it, to just wipe away everything that was presently haunting him.

His possible illness… his frail emotions… his nightmares.

His hand was shaking as he was writing the last words to his final letter, and he gritted his teeth, forcing his hand to control itself. He couldn't be sick; he was the avatar, after all. He had no time to be vulnerable like this. And all of a sudden, he remembered her. How she had gazed at him, uncertainty and fear on her face, believing that he was invincible… that he was unconquerable. He unexpectedly felt a painful twinge, and that was when he stood up, at last coming to a decision.

It was the last thing he wanted to do, especially in these circumstances, but he had no choice, did he? Everything else had failed, leaving this one option, and at that thought, Aang collapsed on his chair and sighed. He wasn't looking forward to his at all, but thinking more about it, he had to confess that he had been putting this task off for a long time. He shouldn't have expected… anything less. And he clenched his fist and stood up again, suppressing a shiver as he felt a cruel, chilling breeze pass him. Nevertheless, he felt his skin prickle, numb, and he wondered in irritation when his own element had turned against him.

Aang made his way out of his room, frowning lightly as he went searching for any messenger who was available. There was somebody he needed to meet, and he currently didn't have the time to fetch her himself. The boy wandered aimlessly in his corridor for a while, and when he decided to check out a lower floor, he encountered Maya.

She wasn't the brisk, expressionless rebel firebender he had seen a few weeks ago. Now, completely relaxed, the twelve-year-old was in traditional Fire Nation robes, smiling and giggling as she kicked a ball towards her earthbender friend, her two small buns enthusiastically bobbing up and down. A smile of amusement flickered on Aang's face as he watched the girl play by the sidelines, and a spark of happiness (as well as this other, more hurtful feeling he couldn't place) momentarily warmed him, reminding himself of…

He sighed, shaking his head. He shouldn't dwell on this. And resolute once more, he approached the firebender and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Immediately, she whirled around, and when she realized whom she was dealing with, she stepped back and blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down, "it's my clothes, isn't it? I… uh…"

She gestured uselessly at her attire, wearing a worried expression, and the avatar restrained a chuckle as he gazed at the beautiful golden patterns adorning the firebender's crimson robe.

"No, it's not that," he reassured her calmly. "In fact, I think it's beautiful, what you're wearing." At that, Maya blinked before grinning shyly. "Anyway," the airbender turned solemn, "I want you to do me a small favor, Maya."

"Yes?" she said, her voice becoming serious, too.

"I want you…. to get Asuka for me."

----- ----- -----

Sokka had never thought that there would be so many people in Kali.

As he marched in the small village's streets and bumped against more and more people, his frustration began to rise while a small scowl gradually appeared on his face. This was taking way too long, he mused, annoyed. Much longer than he had planned. Yet what else could he do? These days, it felt as if he could only rely on himself. After all, it had already been about a week since he had talked to Gloria about the search party, and he doubted that the waterbender had ever succeeded in starting the hunt for the prince. Yet with Misaki's present mood and Asuka's aloofness, it wasn't surprising. Still, today the second-in-command had decided to take things in his own hands, determined to catch Zuko himself. It was becoming painfully obvious that he was the only one in the avatar's forces who was really intent on catching the firebender.

Sadly, as he had stated earlier, the task proved much harder than he would have liked. Kali was a rather crowded place, and people moved fast here, vanishing from his sight in the blink of an eye. And if normal people were able to do that, Zuko –with his amazing agility and his constant vigilance- would be practically impossible to track down. Sokka, unfortunately, was just starting to discover this, and this fact did nothing to enlighten his temper. Not only that, but he had also seen many men who had suspiciously looked like firebenders this morning, and it irked him that he couldn't do anything about it. Since he wasn't a hundred percent sure that they were Fire Nation soldiers, he had no authority to arrest them. Plus, he was only one man and a nonbender at that. He doubted he could take on several firebenders at a time.

Nevertheless, that wouldn't prevent him from jumping on Zuko the moment he saw him. Sokka hated those who hesitated in front of what they had to do, and besides, he had already fought the stubborn prince before, hadn't he? In the end, he had only come up of it with a few scratches. And ever since then, he had trained hard to improve himself, and he was sure that he was at least a little more nimble that he had been the last time he had fought.

Now… if only the prince would bother to show himself.

The enemy shouldn't be far. After all, if Zuko truly wanted to free his dear girlfriend, he would have to stay near her prison. But now that Sokka was coming to think about it, the firebender could be hiding in the forest nearby instead. Wouldn't that be a more sensible hiding place, away from the prying eyes of the villagers? But that would mean… that he had been searching in Kali for nothing! The boy gritted his teeth. This was becoming… too aggravating.

Closing his eyes, the seventeen-year-old finally stopped walking, taking a deep breath and seating himself on a bench. Relaxing, he shut his ears from the raucous, outside noise and attempted to empty his thoughts. It was no use getting upset about the Fire Nation prince. There was plenty of time to find him, and if he didn't, Zuko would come to him. It wouldn't be too long before the foe came back for Katara, right? Katara. He scowled, a soft sigh escaping his lips. What was wrong with her? Her lies, her treachery… it just didn't blend with her sincere smiles and the innocent nature of hers he had so naturally known when he had been solely her brother, when he could just act normal in front of her… and didn't have to treat her differently.

Katara… what she had done… what she was doing…. none of it made sense. How could she still smile and act justifiably after the horrendous things she had done? How could she still lecture about keeping promises after she had broken her own? How could she still act like his sister while deceiving him behind his back? It hurt to think about it, remembering the happy times the two of them had gone through when they had been young, careless, only for their earlier argument to show its ugly face to him quickly after. Slowly, Sokka opened his eyes, letting them rest on the serene cerulean skies above, and a moment later, his sight wandered to the animated people passing by him, smiling, laughing, and without a turmoil of vicious feelings ripping them apart. And meanwhile, here he was, struggling with himself over someone he had loved.

The South Pole native now dearly wished he had never strayed from his Zuko-centric thoughts.

Even when Katara had been his prisoner, she hadn't act cruel and hostile like he had done for her. No, she had been just… Katara, calmly letting him lock her up in her cell, almost as if nothing seriously had been happening, as if they had been merely playing one of their childhood games. And when she had smiled timidly at him, had chastised him for all his old habits, the foolish, gullible part of his mind had began forgetting what she had done, what she had become. What had it believed, Sokka presently asked himself, exasperated? That although the waterbender had betrayed Aang, she had still stayed his sister? Of course, their last talk had completely shattered that illusion, whether he liked it or not…

A huge ball of snow. Right in front of him. The perfect missile to fire at his sister.

Frowning in concentration, he moved ever so slowly towards the prize, dragging his entire body on the ground like a snail. Because if he stood up, she might see him. And he wanted to launch a surprise attack.

Let the girl think she was safe and sound in that perfectly made fort of hers, he thought, smirking. The ball was looming nearer and nearer. But just as he reached out for it, a bombardment of snowballs fell from the skies, all seemingly as big and threatening as hail as they pelted him.

And when he finally stood up, she was there. Wearing a small, satisfied smirk. She had won… again. And he grimaced.

This wasn't time… to reminisce. He was scowling, and in a swift, angry motion, he stood up, planning on going back to the castle. Because who cared about the prince? He was being illogical, he knew, but he couldn't stand being here anymore. Amidst cheerful people, with stocky, soft-hued buildings all around him… He needed to be alone in a familiar place. But first off, he needed to go back to reality, to convince himself that Katara wasn't who she had been. The boy was determined to simply become her warden again, and as long as he had his fury to grip onto, he would not slip again. Her lies would remind him that this wasn't her sister… but a potential foe.

As soon as he got back to Omashu, he would interrogate her, cold and merciless. And he would get answers.

----- ----- -----

Katara was lying on the cold bench, brooding, when she heard her cell door unlock itself.

Startled, she immediately stood up, and she frowned as she peered cautiously at her door, wondering whether she had actually heard the sound or not. She had already gotten her food for the day, after all, and ever since her fight with Sokka, she had not been allowed to go out anymore. Who could possibly want to see her now? The girl waited for a moment or two, but when nobody came into her cell, her frown deepened. Well, she mused, raising an eyebrow, if the person outside doesn't want to come in, I'll just come out and see him for myself. Slowly, she went to the door and swung it open. She blinked in astonishment, though, when she saw that there was nobody there.

Strange.

The waterbender was a little suspicious. Who could have wanted to open the door for her, only to evade her at the last minute? It did not make any sense at all. However, with the possibility of escaping right in front of her, she didn't bother to think too deeply into it. Perhaps she had an unknown friend within the castle who did not want to have his identity known, or maybe this was one of the rare incidents in life that could not be explained. Either way, Katara wouldn't let this great chance slip by.

By now, she knew the castle's interior rather well, and she presently felt a surge of confidence, assured that she would safely find her way out. The most difficult obstacle had been conquered for her, had it not? This had to mean something. It would be such a waste of time, really, if the door had unlocked itself, presenting her with the perfect opportunity, only for her to get captured again. Besides, she would show Zuko –Sokka- that she wasn't just a helpless girl. She could –she would- escape all by herself, and she couldn't wait to see the prince's bemused visage when she presented herself in front of him, safe and free without his help at all. And Sokka… he would be outraged, of course. She felt bitter pleasure mount inside her as she thought about it, but her brother would have to deal with her escape. And it would be better for the two of them, wouldn't it be? Sokka, he wouldn't have to deal with her unnerving presence anymore, and she… didn't have to feel guilty after she was gone from this miserable place.

With that, she smiled to herself and quietly slipped out of the third floor, her ears strained for any sound while her body was tense, ready to fight. The sixteen-year-old took the more remote corridors, and her mood soared when she saw nobody in her path. The stairs were the biggest problem, because that was where she had the most chance of encountering a foe, but even there, there was no one to stop her, and she felt dizzy with delight. She would easily escape from here. Her steps were light and quick, and she never let her guard down, despite her optimistic attitude. She took the long way towards the exit, moving rapidly from one hallway to the next, and it was only when she burst out, her face colliding with the fresh air of late autumn, did she begin feeling a little uneasy.

She had expected to be stopped when she had been inside the castle, snaking her way out. And she had felt jubilant and smug when there had been no one in her way to freedom. Yet her judgment had been clouded then, because she had been so convinced that the fates had been smiling at her from below, had wanted this to happen. But that couldn't be right, could it? There had to be a reason why she had been allowed to escape from her cell, and somebody must have wanted her to come out of the castle, to come this far. But who exactly… and why? She had thought that perhaps she had a friend amongst the avatar's resistance, but now that she was thinking clearly, she highly doubted that. But if it was an enemy who had set this all up, there was still the question of why? It just… didn't make any sense.

Frustrated, Katara began to walk, slowly and carefully at first, but her pace soon began to be more relaxed, even leisured, as if it was one of her normal walks in the castle grounds. Because a part of her couldn't help thinking that it was one of her ordinary promenades. She knew she shouldn't be here, that there were guards to look out for, but the soothing feel of the familiar earth below her, and the calming sensation of the refreshing breeze… It was all almost enough to convince her that nothing was wrong, that she should be here. Too bad that it wasn't true.

Plus, she was starting to wonder how she would escape from here. She had thought before that she merely needed to get out of the castle and then she would be free. But gazing at the immense castle walls in all around her, she knew that she had severely miscalculated. It had been so easy slipping under the walls to enter the castle, but she knew it would be much harder evading the intimidating obstruction. Urgh. She scowled, feeling angry and indignant again, and she wondered how she could have ever been so foolish, carried away by her optimism. She remembered what Zuko had taught her, to always keep one's head cool and level, and she could imagine him reprimanding her for ever thinking that her mission could have been so easy.

Calm. Peace. Quiet.

She stopped, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. She couldn't let stress overcome her like this. She couldn't give up now. Ever so carefully, she let her body relax, allowing all her tension to unwind, loosen its suffocating grasp on her, until it was completely gone. She sighed, and a few moments later, when she opened her eyes again, she felt like her usual self: tranquil and composed. Walls couldn't keep her in. She would find her way out. She touched the barrier's rough, rocky surface, asking herself whether she could climb it. She felt its jagged texture, the hard earth crumbling into coarse sand in her hands, before looking up, and she sighed when she saw the daunting sight above. If she could just climb the wall, it would be a long way up.

There was always the caution of stealth, too, she mused, patting the sand off her hands. If she just scaled up her obstacle, chances were that a sentry would eventually spot her. And then it would be game over. Another sigh. She would have to find another way to go past the walls, although… the unexpected thought struck her, and she felt nostalgic all of a sudden… Sokka probably would have just risked his chance, going up the walls and being sighted. And Aang, he would-

Just then, an inexplicable dread seized her, and she took a step back and whirled around. A split second later, a spear shot through the air and struck the part of the wall she had been standing in front of a moment ago. The loud, rough sound of sharpened metal making contact with stiff earth clashed in her ears. She was now very afraid, her heart beating noisily in her chest, its pulse so violent that she had to clutch her chest to contain it. She had been so close to death just right now. It had been simply because of her instincts that her head wasn't pierced through at this very moment. The thought left her pale and shaken.

And in front of her was the enemy. Tall, gaunt, and completely in black, his face was hidden in layers of cloth, revealing only his small, narrowed eyes that burned intently into Katara's. There was a long, dangerous dagger in one of his hands, and she was frozen in place, knowing that he wanted to kill her but unable to defend herself. At least until he rushed towards her, dagger aimed at her face, and with a frightened yelp, the sixteen-year-old dodged, tripping over herself and falling clumsily onto the ground. Trembling violently, she struggled to pull water from the air, desperate to form a decent water whip, and when her opponent was right in front of her, Katara let out a small scream before she splashed all the water she had gathered into his face.

The other staggered, only for a second, yet it was enough time for the girl to stand up and get a grip. She had been surprised then, when she had been assaulted at the most unexpected time, but now she was ready to fight back. She wouldn't just let her enemy conquer her so easily. With a fluent grace, she pulled all the water back to her, quickly gathering a little more from the atmosphere before forming a rather large water sphere.

In a fighting stance, Katara launched her attack, the water hurtling at an incredible speed towards the enemy. She briefly showed a satisfied smirk when her foe was sent flying, only to land heavily a few feet away from her. However, he regained his ground too quickly for her liking, and before she could strike again, he lunged at her, and his blade slashed her cheek as she barely avoided his dagger. Her water sphere exploded into a pelting rain, and she soon found herself on the ground. Gritting her teeth, she looked up to her enemy, hurriedly trying to gather her water sphere again. When she saw him raise his dagger, ready to stab her, she gasped and rolled away just in time.

An obscene curse escaped the other's lips. Katara was bemused that the voice had been… female. She had thought at first that she was dealing once more with a masked YuuYan archer, but if it was a woman she was fighting… Suddenly determined to find out her opponent's identity, the teenager grabbed the black covering hiding her adversary's face. The latter instantly jerked back, alarmed. However, the swift movement tore the cloth away from her façade, and before Katara knew it, a fistful of black silk was in her hands while she stared, mesmerized, at her attacker.

Abruptly, a scene flooded in her mind. Something that had happened so long ago… When she had been on Zuko's ship, when the avatar's pirates had been assaulting them, and when she had faced a thin, dangerous woman clad in black, a dagger pointed at her heart… It was her. The waterbender let out a loud gasp, instinctively backing away from her foe while fear contaminated her insides, slowly engulfing her, devouring her… Because the woman was staring at her with the most horrible expression, her chalk white face twisted in fury and loathing while her eyes –pitch black and as unfathomable as the murkiest depths of the ocean- glinted ominously. She had been the one who had caught her in the castle in the first place, was it not? And Katara could remember her chilling words exactly, even though they had been spoken weeks ago…

"I doubt you'll be spared this time."

And you won't, a quiet voice unexpectedly spoke up inside her, if you don't snap out of it. Feeling poured inside her again, and with another gasp, the sixteen-year-old jumped up, shaking off the fear that had so quickly gripped her and rapidly reassembling her water sphere. It didn't matter who her enemy was, she tried to convince herself. She was going to beat her. In front of her, the other smirked.

"It doesn't matter if you know who I am," she said silkily. "I doubt you'll live long to make this information useful anyway."

"We'll see about that," Katara whispered, narrowing her eyes. "Don't… underestimate me."

Those words exchanged, the two went into action, the ninja woman charging at the girl with amazing speed, her weapon drawn out, while Katara took a step back and hurled her water with as much force as possible, amassing the liquid into a small, concentrated ball that would hit the enemy's face with a solid, blowing impact. She was hoping that this sole assault would knock the woman out, because she knew that waterbending alone would never give her opponent any significant damage. And sure enough, the water hit her right in the face, and the dagger flew out of her hand as she collapsed on the ground, her breaths coming in slow, heavy pants.

Quickly, Katara made her way to the knife, hoping to render her adversary more or less harmless Her hand was merely a few inches away from the weapon before she felt something hard hit her face. A shriek could be heard, and she stumbled and fell, scowling as she saw the woman lazily pick up her dagger, all the while watching her in cruel amusement. The sixteen-year-old let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snarl before she got up and prepared a brutal water whip. With a furious motion from her arms, she unleashed her attack, but to her dismay, her foe dodged the whip before running towards her. The woman was too close now to dodge. Katara screamed, blocking her face with her arms, knowing that there was no way she would come out of this unharmed.

She was not surprised when she felt a splitting agony seize both her arms, and she took a cautious step back before slowly lowering her arms and checking the damage. She winced at what she saw; her two forearms were a mess already, blood eagerly bubbling out of her wounds and tainting her clothes a deep, taunting red. Even when the girl carefully rolled up her sleeves, there was a shooting pain that made her grunt. She felt her stomach churn uneasily when her eyes fell on a deep, ugly gash on each forearm. She glared at her opponent, the fear she had dispelled before beginning mount again when she learned that the other had barely been harmed by her attacks.

Katara clenched her fists and made a gesture that would harness back all the water she had lost, but she had just raised her arms when a burning, searing sensation made her yelp, and her arms fell back to her sides, useless. Her injuries… she hadn't known that they were that bad. Now, and this thought was followed by ice-cold dread that drenched her entire being, she couldn't waterbend. She tried once again to move her arms in the familiar waterbending motions, yet this time, she realize to her horror that the tiniest move made her cringe in pain. She was entirely… vulnerable.

The woman could sense it, too, because there was malicious satisfaction shining in her eyes as she watched the girl squirm. Katara knew she should be running away if she wished to live. After all, it was obvious that the other wanted to kill her, but the dark, pessimistic part of her mind asked what was the point. And before she could convince her legs to flee, her enemy came forward, her thin lips curved into a victorious grin as she prepared for a deadly assault. Gasping, Katara knew she was just lucky when she avoided the dagger's fatal point, but the consequences was that she collided with the ground in the most painful manner, and when she automatically tried to push herself up with her arms, she felt an atrocious agony taking her over. A moan slipped from her mouth as she collapsed completely.

There was… nothing she could do.

A few feet away from her, the enemy watched her, her face this time expressionless.

"You deserve to die," she breathed softly, her voice so quiet, so cold, that the sixteen-year-old momentarily suspected that it was only the harsh wind that had chilled her to the bone. "You traitor."

The woman then jumped, her weapon positioned for the final, deadly blow, and in that slow, cruel second that Katara was forced to endure watching her foe pounce, she realized something. It was as if something clicked inside her, and she felt horrible all of a sudden, not only weak but…

It happened in a blur. He had just jumped out from nowhere, knocking the enemy down in midair. Her ice blue eyes widened when she recognized who it was. The ninja woman tumbled to the ground, flinching and scowling, and he immediately came to her, shielding her. She let out a gasp, but this time, it was out of gratitude… love. She gazed at him, at loss for words, and he returned her stare, his face unreadable. She struggled with the right thing to say, and finally, she smiled and whispered:

"Thank-you, Sokka."

Her brother nodded curtly and helped her into a sitting position. He was extremely gentle with her, taking good care of her damaged arms, and she felt a surge of emotion taking over her. He was so… endearing. Especially after what they had gone through, what she had done. So it was true. He really still cared. And it felt so good to know that he was still the same, that she still had a big brother to look up to…. She felt her melancholy being lifted, a small smile tugging at her lips. But there was still the enemy to deal with.

Katara composed herself, gazing nervously at her attacker, and she saw that Sokka, too, was looking at the woman, but he wasn't afraid. No, he was extremely angry. She felt happy and safe, though, that he was here now. His presence made everything… better. Just like it had had an eternity before.

"Asuka," the seventeen-year-old at last spoke up, his tone harsh and cold. "What were you doing?"

Asuka returned the second-in-command's hard gaze, standing up with an air of cool superiority.

"Sokka," she acknowledged quietly. "Why are you so worked up over one simple prisoner?" Her voice was mocking, and besides her, Katara could see her brother's fists clench.

"That is none of your concern," he spat out, wearing a fierce expression. "I'll repeat this just one more time… What were you doing, Asuka?"

The woman opened her mouth but paused before shaking her head slightly. And when she finally replied, the sixteen-year-old felt a sick feeling overcome her.

"I was sent by the avatar."

And a moment later, she darted out of their sight.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Yeah, I'm alive. Be awestruck. And I know, it's been months since I've updated and I am a very bad author who should slowly burn but won't because that's how life is. Anyway, I am sorry that I haven't updated for such a long time, especially since I should have been able to. Kind of. Because my story is done. Yes, Hardened Winds is a finished story. I just have to edit it more before posting every chapter. Don't worry, though. I am planning to publish all chapters this summer.

Be jubilant. Although I know you won't be. Sigh. I'm pretty sure I lost all my reviewers when I… ah…. disappeared. Sorry again.

Hopefully, this chapter wasn't too painful to read. It was supposed to a nostalgic chapter, which might have irritated some, but at least there was an action-filled ending. And a cliffhanger of some sort. Maybe that will entertain you for a while.

Once again. Sorry. Sorry. And the next chapters will be up before you know it.

Oh, yes. By the way, thank you to AirGirl Phantom for pointing out to me that I described Katara as a fourteen-year-old practically all through this chapter. I thought I only made the mistake once or twice throughout this story, but it turns out I'm just not that smart. Yeah, and I've reposted this chapter a million times by now.

Review if you're nice.


	17. Shades of Gray

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XVI_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

This wasn't good. No… this was far from good.

Darkness. Thick and foreboding, it was all around him, glaring at him, taunting him. And he grasped his scrawny arms tighter, closing his eyes and willing it all to go away. Cold. Warmth. He felt them both; the cold gradually conquering him with its sharp, glinting claws, and the feverish heat that made his head hurt, that made the worst unwelcome thoughts enter his head.

His mattress felt like lumping ice underneath him, and his thin covers that were now securely drawn all over him… they weren't helping. They weren't protecting him from anything. But the boy nevertheless held them more closely to himself, a purely instinctive movement as he prayed fervently for what…? Warmth that would revive his body? Or the cold that would clear his head…?

He remembered. He recalled the things he had so desperately pushed into the back of his mind years ago, when he had been so foolish… so free… He remembered his relaxed, sarcastic voice… her warm smiles that were just for him… And he felt a stinging stab, knowing that he shouldn't be reminiscing all these memories, that he was only hurting himself further. But his mind kept replaying everything he had gone through before that summer's end, and when he saw his own cheerful grin, his own stupid exploits… He couldn't help but flinch.

So naïve. So stupid. He had had no idea what he had gotten himself into then, had he? He had had absolutely no clue what war had really meant…. what the heartrending sacrifices had been that the avatar was always forced to make. And he had paid deeply for his ignorance, had he not? For a brief, terrible second, he felt her familiar presence lingering next to him, and he cringed. But he couldn't help but miss a part of his former, carefree self, because the moment he had abandoned his childish spirit, he had let go of something else… of something much more valuable.

He didn't know what, though. And he hated not knowing.

A cough. It brutally escaped his mouth, reminding him of his present condition, and the fourteen-year-old sighed. Sleep. He needed sleep. The cold always went away when he sank into the shadows of slumber. But then…. There were the dreams, and he closed his eyes, feeling a small shiver pass through his entire being. He could deal with his nightmares when he was well, ignore them completely until their dreadful aura had vanished completely from his mind. But would he be powerful enough when he was sick like this?

He felt horrible, knowing that he could never escape. If his illness wasn't plaguing him, his mind would… with teasing, heartbreaking pictures of the past. And he knew that he would feel drained and depressed in the morning if he fell asleep and accepted these dreams.

Still. He was tired of the cold. And he couldn't stay awake until morning. That would take energy that he did not have. Besides, if he admitted that he couldn't face his nightmares, he would only prove to be weak, vulnerable. He had to show to himself that he could bear these dreams, and when they stopped haunting him, affecting him, they would… go away.

_Please… just go away._

----- ----- -----

"Aang wouldn't do that… would he?"

He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. And behind him, his little sister looked at him with those large, innocent eyes, which again shone with trust. Gritting his teeth, the seventeen-year-old punched the earth wall in front of him. His fight with Katara…. the two of them had long forgotten about that ever since he had saved her from Asuka. Brother and sister were once again on even terms, but the price for that had been high. They no longer doubted each other, turning their suspicions on…

_No. It couldn't be._

Katara was calling to him again, her voice soft, almost comforting. But he couldn't to look at her, not now. Instead, he kept his eyes on the wall, glaring fiercely at it and all the while wondering how he had gotten into such a screwed-up situation so fast. Why did Asuka just attack the waterbender like that yesterday? And, the second-in-command narrowed his eyes, confused. The woman hadn't been merely trying to hurt his sister… she had been intent on finishing Katara off. _But why?_ The nagging, persistent question mocked him, tugging at his every nerve. Asuka had said that Aang had sent her, had wanted to destroy Katara, but that was impossible. Aang wouldn't turn to harsh actions. He would never –_never_- kill…

Abruptly, the dreadful memory of their deceased prisoner crossed Sokka's mind, something that had happened so long ago. He recalled Aang's downcast face, his solemn tone as he proclaimed to his friend that he had indeed murdered someone, and again Sokka punched the wall, furious. _No, no… _no!

Yet the young monk had been acting dangerously these days, the evil voice continued slowly in his head, savoring his pain. Lately, Aang had been distant to him, averting his eyes from his own cerulean ones, and hadn't the airbender ignored him quite a few times the past few days? It was particularly difficult to admit that Sokka had no idea what his friend was currently up to. _That doesn't mean that Aang wants to kill Katara!_ he screamed silently, clutching his head. His best friend… he couldn't have changed that much, could he? One moment he was the chirping, grinning boy everyone knew and loved, and the next…. a _murderer._

_No._ Sokka knew that he himself had killed a few men during the war, and during that time, casualties had been inevitable. Hadn't Aang's situation with that prisoner been the same? It had occurred during the war, after all, but… it hadn't been necessary then, Sokka knew reluctantly. Aang had had a choice in sparing the captive that time, yet the avatar had decided to be merciless, crushing the victim without any thought as he had attempted to do this time… But that was just it, the South Pole native thought angrily. The airbender _hadn't_ tried murdering Katara; Asuka had lied, that had to be true.

The woman had never lied to his knowledge, though. And why, the rational part of him asked, why would she? There had been no reason for her to evade the truth, and perhaps she had just given it to him that day… that awful day…

"Sokka?"

Surprised, the boy whirled around. Sitting on the bench, Katara gazed at him with concerned eyes.

"We probably… shouldn't think about this too much," she started tentatively, but Sokka immediately interrupted her before she could say more.

"What do you mean, we can't think about it too much?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "Don't you care about your life, Katara? Someone out there is trying to _kill you!"_

Bemusement spread on her face before she shook her head and sighed. She was so naïve sometimes, the boy thought, frowning. She hadn't changed at all, had she? She had been so foolish with her crush on Jet, and she had only been lucky when she had succeeded in convincing the earthbenders to rebel two years ago. And perhaps… perhaps she was being naïve again with Zuko? Sokka's frown deepened. He had never thought about that before, but now that he thought about it, the possibility angered him. True, that would mean that she wasn't truly bad, but he couldn't bear to think about all the pain she had caused simply due to her _stupidity._

This was not the matter at hand, of course. Now, he wanted –he _needed_- to know who wanted to harm his sister before it was too late. Maybe it wasn't Aang, a hopeful part of him suggested. Maybe… it was the same person who had employed the YuuYan archers? But if that was so, they had used Asuka this time. And Asuka, Sokka knew with perfect certainty, never worked for anyone besides herself… and the avatar. _Back to square one_, he mused, infuriated.

He had to think about this further. He needed some time alone. But glancing back at his sister, he wondered what he could do with her. Sure, Katara was capable of defending herself, but not all too well, as her last fight had shown. Besides, she was presently wounded, unable to waterbend. This was bad. Should he leave her with a guard? No, he shook his head. That would seem suspicious. Someone was bound to report this to the airbender. And for now, Sokka's fists clenched, he didn't want Aang to know anything. Because apparently, the avatar thought the same.

"I need to go," the second-in-command at last headed towards the door.

"What?" Katara said, visibly alarmed. "Already?"

"Don't worry," he told her. "I'll have this door double-bolted, with a lock that only I can break. Don't worry."

He repeated the last statement softly, reassuringly, but when he closed the door, he could still see is sister's face, worried and frightened. He felt awful for some strange reason, as if… he was abandoning her.

----- ----- -----

However, it was obvious that he wasn't.

For two days straight, all he could think of was Katara, her safety, and who was trying to attack her. Locking himself in his room, he spread a multitude of papers across his desk and began thinking, jotting down anything –a thought, a _clue_- that could lead him closer to the mysterious foe. He was determined to prove that it wasn't his best friend behind all this, but (and he hated to admit this) there _was_ a chance that Aang had ordered Asuka to murder his sister. After all, the boy could have been harnessing an anger towards Katara that he had never revealed, and if there was anything Aang was good at, it was hiding his emotions. Maybe, Sokka thought, closing his eyes, maybe the fourteen-year-old had recently reached a breaking point.

The thought was painful to contemplate, though, so he often pushed it to the back of his mind. Meanwhile, he was beginning to ignore the airbender, averting his gaze from the other's every time they crossed each other's path. It was rude, Sokka knew, especially since he hadn't come to the conclusion that Aang was the culprit yet, but he just couldn't endure looking into the avatar's cold gray eyes, not now. He was afraid that he would see guilt in them, or worse… nothing but the steely coldness that he had seen before, when his friend had confessed that he had killed that prisoner. Besides, Aang wouldn't notice if Sokka ignored him. He had a feeling that the fourteen-year-old was trying to avoid him, too.

However, by the end of the second day, the adolescent knew that he couldn't go on like this forever; ignoring his best friend and making himself believe that it wasn't him who had tried assaulting his sister while the evidence against the other was becoming stronger and stronger. He needed to _talk_ to Aang about this. He was the only one who could give Sokka the truth, and the latter doubted that the avatar would lie to him. After all, when had Aang said anything but the truth before? Katara was also the enemy, so if the airbender wished to exterminate her, he would think that Sokka would fully agree with him. And when he pondered over this, the South Pole native wondered what would happen if Aang was really behind all this. Could he tell… the _avatar_ to back off?

But Aang would have a point; Katara was responsible for high treason, and didn't she just lie to Sokka a while back? He didn't know anymore. He shouldn't trust the waterbender, he should just forget about her and the fun times they had had before… but he couldn't bear the thought of her being killed. And what more, but by her former best friend. This… was…. hurting… his head.

Surprisingly, before he could decide the exact time he would have a private talk with Aang, the airbender himself called him to his chambers.

"I'm going to Bai Sing Se," the young monk informed Sokka quietly, already prepared with a small backpack and –more surprisingly- putting on a leather coat.

"What?" the South Pole native questioned, taken back and even more suspicious.

Apparently, it was true. The avatar hadn't been keeping him up-to-date these days. But Bai Sing Se? That was the last thing that Sokka would have thought of.

"Since when?" he demanded, and the moment the words slipped out, he regretted them. He had sounded too harsh.

With his back to him, Aang tilted his head, as if surprised.

"Didn't Asuka…?" he started, but then he stopped and shook his head.

_Didn't Asuka what?_ Sokka wanted to know, but thankfully this time, he retained this question. Instead, he composed himself, deciding he would rather want to know more about the subject of the Earth Nation Capital.

"What are you planning to do there?" he asked casually a minute later.

"I have some matters to attend to," the monk replied, sighing. "I'll be back in four days… a week even? I just want you to look after the castle until I come back. Not too hard, right?"

"Of course not."

The second-in-command felt strange when he talked to Aang, and it was only when the latter exited the room did he realize that his friend hadn't looked at him once during their meeting. The discovery was unsettling, and it only confirmed that the avatar was hiding something from him, something big. Sokka frowned as he, too, left the airbender's chambers. A part of him had already accepted the fact that Aang was most likely behind what had happened to Katara. The thought was nauseating, though, and the seventeen-year-old felt indignant and perhaps even _enraged_ that his best friend could just try to kill his sister off so easily, not even telling him about it first. The hopeful voice in his mind that kept telling him that Aang was innocent was becoming quieter and quieter, leaving anger and wariness to brew freely inside him.

----- ----- -----

He had a feeling that something bad had happened to Katara.

True, Zuko knew, it was merely an instinct, and it was probably wrong. The prince was one who usually went by rational common sense, not normally jumping to conclusions solely because of his intuition. However, as nights went by, the uneasy sensation grew, tormenting him with daunting questions and horrid possibilities, and it was becoming harder and harder to simply ignore it, to cling on reason. After all, what would happen if his instincts were right? If the waterbender had gone through something terrible and… he hadn't been there to stop it? Zuko wouldn't be able to live then, knowing that someone so close had suffered when he could have done something about it.

Perhaps he should have already gone to free Katara. It had been a long time since they had long talked, and the girl was probably wondering what was taking him so long. Yet it wasn't as if the prince didn't have anything else to do in the village of Kali. Often, he conjured up meetings with his men, discussing about what they would do when they came back to the Fire Nation, and other times, he would plan with his uncle, trying to find the best way to cross the waters and reach Jennoh. Because although they could recapture their own ship, Uncle Iroh was sure that they could come up with a safer way to acquire transportation. The avatar didn't let his loot get stolen that easily, the retired general never failed to remind him, much to his irritation. And all these things happened at night, because by day, everyone had to look out for themselves. Firebenders were still far from welcome in the Earth Nation.

Most nights, though, he was alone, thinking about problems that were more… personal. He thought he knew what he had to do once he was back in his native nation. He would take the crown and follow his ancestors' footsteps, wouldn't he? Yet Uncle Iroh's words replayed themselves again and again in his head, and he began wondering whether becoming Fire Lord was such a great idea. He didn't want to repeat history, did he? But history… it just didn't repeat itself that easily, right? The questions were boundless, each one leaving him more confounded than ever, and it took several nights to sort his thoughts out.

About a week after being pestered by the foreboding feeling, Zuko decided he would pay a visit to the waterbender. By now, he was almost completely sure that something had happened with Katara. He was so desperate to find her that he decided he would go to her cell by sunset instead of in the safety of the night. A rash decision, he knew, but he had already stalled long enough. Besides, a little fighting would do him some good.

Yet he needn't have worried, because infiltrating the castle of Omashu proved to be very easy. As always, he climbed the wall using rope, making sure to land in an area that wasn't been watched. This time, luck was with him, because he soon found a way to slip into the structure by using one of its smaller entrances –one that was left unguarded. The hallways he sneaked by were all deserted, and in no time, he had mounted the stairs and had entered the remote third floor. His stride confident, he marched to Katara's cell, raising an eyebrow when he met a double-bolted door. The eighteen-year-old closed his eyes, frowning in concentration, and a moment later, his fist became flamed. With a snarl, he pounced on the lock, but when he did not hear the satisfactory click of the door becoming unlocked, he drew back his fist and looked quizzically at the door. A moment later, he swore.

So the water tribe peasant wasn't such an idiot, after all. That bastard had installed a _fireproof_ bolt.

No matter, Zuko thought, gritting his teeth. He would break the door if it was the last thing he did. But before he broke his fists trying, he inspected the bolt, looking for anything –a weakness- of which he could take advantage. Uncle had told him once that a bolt was a complex mechanism, one that could collapse easily should one of the smaller parts break. Not such a bad idea, the prince now pondered, glaring at the object. If he managed to damage one of the smaller parts of the double-bolt, then he would have access to Katara's cell. He had to hurry, though, because even if he felt safe now, he was still in enemy territory. With that in mind, Zuko searched for any small holes and burned them as well as he could, hoping that one of them lead to the gears of the bolt. He then determined the weaker areas of the bolt before closing his eyes and directing a precise kick, using as much force as he could as his foot came in contact with the metal. A raucous, resonating sound dominated the air, and the firebender flinched, knowing that the noise had certainly been heard.

He tried opening the cell door again, scowling when the attempt proved useless. He aimed another accurate kick at the bolt before both his fists became enflamed. Fine, he mused, if he couldn't find a rational way to crack the bolt, he would resort to the first thing that had come to his mind; pure, impulsive violence. He hit the lock several times, making sure his flames penetrated through the small holes of the bolt, and after a minute or two, he stopped and tried opening the door again. When it refused to budge one more, Zuko's temper rose dramatically, and solely out of frustration, he kicked furiously at the door.

He was rather astonished when the door opened rather easily on his third attempt, and he even allowed a small smile to show. _Take that, Uncle._ Rash aggression _was_ sometimes the answer. He looked into the cell, expecting to see Katara smile warmly in front of him. The second surprise met him when he found her flattened on the wall, her face pale and fearful as she stared at him with wide, glimmering eyes. Blinking, Zuko gave her an inquiring look, wondering what was wrong with her. Neither of them spoke for a while until finally, Katara hesitantly relaxed and looked at him closely. A moment later, the familiar gentle smile spread across her face and she leaped on him, making him stumble as she gave him a fierce hug.

"Katara!" he gasped. "What… why… what happened?"

"I'm so glad it's you!" the girl cried, almost tearfully, hugging him even more tightly. "I thought it could have been…"

"What?"

At last, she let go of him and stepped back, wearing a hesitant expression.

"Something… uh… happened," she told him quietly, and the fright in her eyes was back.

So he was right. Zuko clenched his fist, thankful that Katara was presently all right and already impatiently waiting to know who was the culprit. The sorry idiot would no doubt pay for what he had done. When he questioned her further, the waterbender sighed before launching her story, and as the tale progressed, he felt himself becoming more agitated, angrier. Someone had tried to _kill_ her, and that person, as Asuka's identity became revealed, was one of the avatar's men. How could the avatar just let that happen? However, the worst was yet to come. When Katara quietly finished her account with one last horrifying piece of information, a suppressed cry of rage escaped the firebender's mouth, quickly followed by a few flames that floated aimlessly in the air for a second before quickly vanishing.

"But Sokka and I," Katara said quickly, sensing his fury, "we doubt that it's Aang who sent Asuka. It's probably not him. The woman lied maybe. And-…"

"I'll kill him."

The words were out before Zuko could hold them down, but when he heard the chilling statement with his own ears, he didn't regret them. Because he _was_ going to finish the avatar once in for all. It had been his original plan, anyway, and what he had done to Katara… it was unacceptable. Nobody –not even that monk- could just try to destroy someone he loved, fail, and expect no consequences whatsoever. Besides him, the fourteen-year-old looked appalled.

"Zuko! No!" she immediately protested.

"Look," the prince gave her an intent gaze, "I can't understand why you're still sticking up for him. He's no longer your friend, Katara, and now… chances are that he wants you dead by any means necessary. How can you _stand_ that?"

"Aang… He wouldn't do that… He would _never_ do that…"

"People change."

Katara looked at him helplessly.

"I know that," she told him, looking down. "But I still don't want this. I don't want anyone else to get hurt… is that too much to ask?"

"Katara," Zuko hissed through gritted teeth, and he frowned at her, hoping to intimidate her into silence.

Sadly, she steadily held on to his gaze, returning it with a solemn one of her own. They stared at each for a long moment before the boy threw his hand up in the air and sighed. Katara was sometimes so stubborn, just like him. Usually this was a trait that Zuko liked in a person, but when the stubbornness was directed a t him… He groaned. Fine, he thought. He would make her happy and drop the subject. For now. The burning feeling he felt towards the avatar, though, did not cease. The vicious anger lashed at his insides, making him grit his teeth and wish the most spiteful things to the enemy. The latter would pay eventually, of course, and the prince looked forward to the moment he would deliver the punishment.

"Okay, okay, let's just get you out of here," Zuko then turned to the waterbender, giving her a reassuring half-smile. "And then we'll see."

An incredulous expression crossed her face, quickly followed by indignation, before she frowned and agreed reluctantly. Nodding, he extended a hand to her, and when he discovered that both her arms had a vicious, bloodied scar, his rage only grew. He regretted dearly that he could do nothing to help the wounds heal.

And just then, he heard the door slam shut. Eyes narrowed, Zuko abruptly turned around, and he felt a mixture of amusement and irritation as he found himself face to face once again with that brat, Katara's brother. His face also hostile, Sokka glared at him hard, one hand already reaching for the all-too-familiar boomerang.

"I never knew I would be meeting you so soon," the South Pole native said a moment later, his tone light.

"Me neither," Zuko replied, mimicking his casual manner. "I didn't know I would get to finish you off this soon."

"We'll see about that, prince."

With a flick of his wrist, the firebender's fist was on fire. This wasn't going to take long. He saw the other settle into a fighting stance, and he, too, drew his fist, prepared to burn the enemy's face off. They were ready to take each other on. Both were about to strike when Katara swiftly moved between them, her façade defiant.

"No more fighting!" she shouted authoritatively.

Sighing, the two boys withdrew, and Zuko scowled at the girl while Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not just going to let him take you without a fight," the latter informed her, and Katara gave him a brief smile before shaking her head.

"I know that," she sighed.

"And what should we do then?" the prince snapped, reducing his fierce face to a mere frown. "I need to get you out."

"Fat chance that'll happen," Sokka retorted. He gave the eighteen-year-old a contemptuous stare.

"I…" Katara started, yet when words apparently failed, she groaned and moved her arms, in a wild, desperate motion.

That wasn't the best move, though, and she soon flinched in pain. A stab of guilt instantly attacked Zuko. He knew that he should not have given so much pressure on her. She was dealing with enormous matters, trying to sort out a grave problem between two people she loved.

"You," he abruptly turned to Katara's brother, deciding to take matters in his own hands. "You can't possibly think that she's safe _here."_

"And what if I do?" Sokka asked haughtily.

"You fool," Zuko whispered. "This is the most dangerous place for Katara now. Can't you see that… or are you really that blind?"

The other hesitated.

"She got kidnapped here and now she almost gets _murdered_. Can't you see the picture? She's not safe in this castle, and she won't be so lucky the next time her attacker strikes. If you really care for Katara… you will let her go. You will help me get her to safety."

Sokka glared at him, but Zuko could see his resolve slowly disintegrating. Nevertheless, the idiot held on.

"I can keep her safe," he shot back. "I already got the door double-bolted, and I can employ guards to look after her cell."

"That can help," the prince admitted honestly, "but did the double-bolted door really work? I got through it very easily," he smirked. "And guards at the door? I could probably take them on, too. You'll just lucky I'm on Katara's side. But all this means that someone can get to her if they really want to." He became serious again. "And won't people here get suspicious when you start giving Katara protection? Even you must know the better option by now."

The South Pole native let out a sound of frustration, stamping his foot and giving Zuko a hateful look. But when he opened his mouth, he finally spoke logic.

"You're right," Sokka said quietly, and the prince could tell how much those words hurt him. "Katara… can't stay here."

"That's probably the smartest thing you ever said," Zuko commented wryly. "We have a deal then?"

The other boy walked to his sister and gently grasped her arm.

"Yes. Let's get her… out of here."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Look at that. The story is going somewhere. Hopefully, this chapter interested you. The narrative of this fanfiction is a little too dense and prolix, I'm sorry, but it should be tolerable. I shall work on that later. Also, last chapter had a few problems (sometimes inadvertently abridged and sometimes without all the italics placed correctly) and hopefully this chapter will be easier to handle. Heads up: another chapter coming out soon.

Review if you're nice.


	18. Falling

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XVII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

This was the second time the two boys were working together.

And as Katara watched Sokka lead Zuko and her from the cell to the stairs, all the while giving occasional glares to the prince, she had to acknowledge that this was an amazing feat. When Sokka and Zuko had worked together last time to set her free, it had been almost unbelievable to Katara, seeing them fight side by side almost as if… they were _friends._ After all, her brother and her prince were the two people most unlikely to get along with one another.

Ever since their mother had passed away, Sokka had nurtured a smoldering hatred towards all firebenders, and his animosity towards Zuko, which had been founded years ago, only made it even more impossible for him to ever cooperate with the older teenager. And Zuko, Katara suppressed a smile, when was it ever easy for him to work with an enemy? Especially someone who was supposedly less competent than him.

"Remind me again why I'm working with this piece of scum," her brother unexpectedly hissed in her ear, his face twisted in a disgusted grimace.

He had just fallen a step behind to be right besides her as they began descending the stairs. Katara rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Because just like the last time, you guys have a common goal," she informed him neutrally.

"Are you comparing my mind to _his?"_

"That would be too good for you," Zuko suddenly jumped into the conversation, scowling at the other boy. "My mind… is so much more superior than your meek brain."

The waterbender sighed when the two glowered at each other, knowing that this was definitely the last time the two would ever be anything more than enemies. Still, she thought, smiling and grasping Zuko's arm tighter, it was nice having them by her side, knowing that she was completely safe for once. The content, light feeling spread through her as naturally and as quickly as pollen settling on a newfound flower, and she was happy in a way she had never known before. Teasing in its presence yet definitely concrete and assuring, it guaranteed her so much; calm, kindness, love…

When she thought about having to leave Sokka behind, never seeing him again, it depressed her terribly, the downhearted emotion dragging her to new, darker depths of her mind. That was how she knew that it was the two of them –her ignorant, overprotective brother, her sweet, volatile prince- together with her that was making her so happy. It wouldn't last long, though, but she couldn't ask for more, she knew that. Freedom was already at a high price. All she could do now was savor the moment and cling on to the tiny hope that one day, she would meet up with Sokka again.

Moments later, the three of them entered another hallway, and the second-in-command immediately stopped them, clearly alert as his eyes darted to every corner. Katara, meanwhile, was straining her eyes, hoping to not detect any unwanted sound. She sighed in relief when she heard only stony silence. She was eager to move on, but Sokka stayed motionless. It took another minute until he finally gave them a nod of approval. Her brother always stayed a few feet ahead, ready to push them aside if anyone suddenly appeared, yet as they all sneaked from one hall to the other, it seemed as if luck was upon them; they met no one. At least until…

"Go back!" Sokka unexpectedly hissed, and instantly, Zuko quickly grabbed Katara's arm.

Both retraced their steps until they turned back to the last corner, where they were well hidden by the wall. Zuko, his golden eyes narrowed, didn't dare to look back and identify the newcomer. Besides him, the girl's breathing was fast and uneven. If they got caught…

"Taro," she then heard Sokka greet the new obstacle.

"Sokka," came the relaxed, cool reply. "I haven't seen you for awhile. How are you?"

"Very good, thank-you."

"You seem… tense," Taro said quietly (Katara guessed that he was a young man). "Anything bothering you?"

"Um? Not at all!"

Zuko snorted quietly, a frown spreading across his face. When she took his hand into hers and squeezed it, he closed his eyes and muttered:

"That idiot. He can't act at all, can he?"

"At least he's trying," Katara whispered reassuringly, making the boy shake his head.

"You know," Taro continued after a moment of silence, "I thought I heard more than one person coming just right now. Did you have any company?"

"No," Sokka told him briskly. "You probably just imagined it."

"I don't imagine things, commander. Perhaps there is somebody around that corner."

When the word came out, Katara stiffened, praying that Taro wasn't talking about the corner where they were hiding. She could sense the tension that dominated the prince as he clenched his fist and scowled. _This isn't good._ But Taro wouldn't seriously come here because of his suspicions, would he? Dread gripped her as she closed her eyes, unwilling to think about what would happen if she came face to face with the man. She had said that she didn't want anyone else to get hurt, and she had meant it. It wouldn't be fair if Zuko was forced to harm Taro, not fair for any of them.

"And perhaps not," Sokka's voice reached her ears, sharp and confident. "Don't you have someplace to go, Taro?"

"Not in the best of moods today, are you?" he answered, his tone indifferent and mildly interested. "What's bothering you?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? Nothing at all."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I went to check around that corner, would you? Just to calm my paranoid nerves."

"No… I mean-…"

The waterbender's worst fears were confirmed when she heard footsteps gradually approaching them, and a shudder violently vibrated through her. She couldn't move anymore, all her thoughts and her entire concentration becoming centered on one single desperate plea. _Don't come nearer, please stop… don't come nearer…_ Yet the footsteps only became louder, more threatening, and she knew he would be coming no matter what. There would be fighting, someone would become wounded, and she would feel the dagger of guilt rip through a part of her when she watched Taro collapse onto the stone floor, unconscious and burned…

"No!"

Katara's eyes flew open when Sokka cried out, obviously panicked. The noise was soon followed by a grunt of frustration, and the footsteps abruptly stopped. Her brother must have somehow stopped Taro. She sighed, relief washing her tension away like the gentle, ocean tide. Something resembling like a calmed sigh also escaped Zuko's lips, and when the two exchanged glances, Katara raising an amused eyebrow while the eighteen-year-old merely shrugged before looking away.

"Why are you holding me back, Sokka?" Taro asked the second-in-command. "You're behaving oddly."

"Um… I've been stressed out lately," was the lame excuse.

"Don't get too comfortable," Zuko whispered edgily to Katara, and she, too, could then see that Sokka would not be able to distract Taro for long.

Whether they liked it or not, she had a feeling that they would get discovered. The tight apprehension immediately came back, seizing her again in its vise-like claws.

"You know what?" the lower-ranking Resistance member then asked Sokka, his tone as always frustratingly apathetic. "You remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"I understand that your peculiar attitude… your nervousness… they're obviously a short-term thing. But when they become long-term, these symptoms become traits… of a traitor."

_A traitor._ It felt as if the stranger had torn a hole in her. Katara paled, although a part of her didn't know why. They were just words, after all, but all of a sudden, she felt horrible, sick. She turned to Zuko, perhaps hoping for reassurance, but to her surprise, she found that he was not there. She turned her head, and what she saw only drained the rest of the color from her face. Yet it was too late. She couldn't stop him. Because the firebender had leaped from their hiding spot, and he was already completely visible to Sokka and Taro.

"What the…?" Sokka gasped, aghast.

"A firebender!" Taro shouted.

_No!_ The sixteen-year-old shrieked in her head, but she nevertheless heard a strangled gasp wrench its way from Taro's lips, closely followed by the hollow sound of a body falling heavily to the floor. She leaned on the wall, immobile with her heart racing, before she forced herself to move and join Zuko and Sokka. Even though she had prepared herself for the sight, she felt a pain aching in her chest when she saw Taro's limp body. His straight, wheat hair hid his closed eyes, and she could see the burn still sizzling the flesh on his shoulder. He had been innocent, too, just unfortunate enough to have crossed their path. _Hurting him, it was inevitable, wasn't it?_ she attempted to think reasonably. But hurting him was one of the consequences of becoming free. Everything had consequences. And some worse than others, she was starting to realize.

She continued to stare at the man, her mind numb, until Zuko at last nudged her gently. He must have noticed a change coming over her, because he looked at her in concern, yet she shook her head and gave him a weak smile. What she was feeling, it didn't mean anything, did it? She didn't know why this was affecting her so much. A moment later, a question tugged at her mind, but before she could turn to the prince to ask, Sokka beat her to it. And he was far from happy.

"What did you do?" the seventeen-year-old rounded on the firebender, fuming.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zuko snapped back, a scowl on his face. "Taro suspected you! It was time someone intervened before your friend really turned on you!"

"_Taro?"_ Sokka looked incredulous. "Taro doesn't turn on people that fast, Zuko! That's your problem. You don't know the people here… I _do!_ And I know that Taro usually asks these questions that just don't mean anything!"

"You fool! He called you a traitor!"

"He didn't call me a traitor, you moron! It's just how Taro acts! Strange and sometimes rude, but he never really means it! It's always hypothetical, when it comes to him!"

"As if I'm going to believe that!"

They were at it again, Katara thought in annoyance as she watched the two boys glare daggers at each other, their bodies already tense and ready to move into a fighting stance.

"Please," she then said quietly, "just stop it."

She was astonished at how small and weary her voice came out. Sokka and Zuko must have noticed it, too, because the boys gave her a worried look before her brother sighed and the prince groaned, both signs that they had dropped the fight. The girl gave them a grateful grin. Satisfied, Sokka gave her a curt nod and Zuko once again grasped her arm. It was time for them to resume their escape. Putting his finger on his lip, Sokka directed them out of the hallway and to another set of stairs, and Katara knew, as their pace automatically quickened, that they were getting closer and closer to the exit. Something was nagging her, though, but once again, she couldn't place what it was. She frowned, hating how confusing her feelings had become. When she glanced at Sokka, the uneasiness inside her only grew.

She wondered whether she was feeling homesick, because it would explain why her brother was affecting her this way. He was the last reminder of her origins, and Katara, with a sharp pain of realization, knew that she could never go back home, not after what she had done. When she escaped from this castle, it would be the last she would see of her brother, too. But what was bothering her… it was more than that. She felt as if she was _missing_ something.

"Just one more flight of stairs," Sokka whispered, "and we'll be out of here."

"Good," Zuko said. "Then I'll never have to see your ugly face again."

"I feel the same, really I do."

She let a small grin creep on her face, amused. She wanted to say something, too; anything, but all of a sudden, she realized she couldn't. It was as if she was unable to voice her thoughts, and in a way, she couldn't. Because her mind was currently centered on one sole thing, or rather the empty space left by the absence of the precise object. A sigh replaced her words. She was glad when Sokka and Zuko stopped talking a moment later, focusing instead on what they had to do as they sauntered from one hallway to another. Soon, it felt like their speed was increasing as each second passed by. A part of her vaguely wondered whether this was safe, running faster and faster, yet the two boys appeared to have thrown caution to the winds. Sokka was presently right besides her, and Zuko was almost pulling her arm, making her uncomfortable and making it clear that he wanted to go faster.

And then, there was the door. The blessed vision was almost too good to be true, but before the doubts could even register in her mind, she heard a light thud and harsh winds collided with her face. Abruptly, the running stopped. Katara found herself outside, where the sun had already gone and the skies were darkening, a melancholy shade of grayish blue while black was quickly spreading its veil over the remaining light. She blinked at the vision, a faint smile appearing when she realized with a light heart that she was free… or at least so close to being there.

"We should get her over the walls fast," Sokka remarked quietly besides her. "Before it's completely black."

"Yes, we should. Come on, Katara."

She had felt strangely apart from them when the two had talked. It was only when she felt Sokka let go was she fully aware of Zuko in front of her, his face expressionless as he motioned to the walls in front of them.

"I managed to climb over them before using rope," he told her quietly. "It's going to be much harder now, since I have you and your arms are injured. But I'll get you out of here, I promise. Even if it means I have to carry you all the way up."

"Aw, how sweet," Sokka drawled in a sickly girlish tone.

"Shut-up, you South Pole brat."

Zuko then turned to her and took a step forward, but when she wouldn't budge, he looked at her curiously. Yet she wasn't ready to get out of the castle, not yet. There was something she had to do. Her eyes wandered from those amber eyes of his to the castle wall, unconcernedly scanning her surroundings. However, when she saw a small door on the farthest side of the wall, obviously meant to be hidden, a flame inside her ignited, and she was unexpectedly very curious. The door was made of the same dull material as any other door, but it had an intricate symbol on the front, and something told her that it was different from the rest.

"What's that door?" Katara bluntly asked Sokka, making Zuko and him stare at her, speechless.

Perhaps it was because he had been so startled by her unforeseen question that her brother turned to her and answered truthfully:

"It leads straight to the avatar's chambers. Wait…" his instincts soon came into play, and he looked at her, wary. "Why do you want to know?"

In an instant, it became clear to her. What she was feeling, what she _wanted…_ She knew now. And filled with a new sense of determination, she looked at Sokka solemnly.

"Why… are you looking at me like that?" he asked, apparently disconcerted by her gaze.

"Sokka, I want you to do me a favor."

He raised a cynical eyebrow at her. Katara knew what he was thinking. Hadn't he already done enough? It was true, she had to admit, but she couldn't leave unless she retrieved what she wanted. What was _rightly_ hers. The fact rang clear and true in her mind, and a powerful certainty filled her entire being, making her feel more confident than she had ever been. She glanced at Zuko and was unsurprised when she saw him irritated, his hands on his hips and scowling.

"We don't have time for this!" he cried angrily. "Katara, we need to get out of here!"

"Sokka," the girl turned to her brother and hurriedly let the words out, "I need you to get my necklace back."

"_What?"_

The seventeen-year-old goggled at her, eyes wide open and his mouth gawking. He stayed for several moments like this, but when he at last collected himself, exasperation immediately dominated his face. He scowled at her.

"You can't just make demands like that," he told her quietly.

"I know," she sighed, taking a step closer to him. "But you know how this necklace is important to me. It's the only thing that I have that reminds me of Mom, of everyone in the South Pole, and I can't bear to lose it again."

"You should have thought about that two years ago," Sokka pointed out venomously, and a brief, horrid pain seized her before she shook her head and gazed at him sternly.

"It's too late to change the past," Katara reminded him quietly, "but I'm not so willing to let it go so easily in the future. We have time, don't we?" she desperately asked him, looking back at Zuko, who only shrugged at her question. "We can go to through that door and get it in no time!"

"But-…"

"Where's Aang right now, Sokka?" Her voice came out louder and harder than she had wanted, but she pushed that thought away.

"He's at Bai Sing Se now."

"Then it should be easy getting the necklace!"

In a swift motion, she ran to the avatar's door, and with a cry of frustration, Sokka chased after her, Zuko right at his heels.

"This is getting ridiculous!" the prince snapped when they all reached the door.

"For once, I agree with the firebender," Sokka sighed, giving Katara an angry look. "You can't always have what you want, Katara."

"The necklace means so much to me," the waterbender said quietly, ignoring his previous comment. "It's not only something for me, but it's also for you. Because I don't think you realize what will happen once I'm gone." She looked at him sadly. "We have no guarantees that we'll ever meet again. This is probably the last time we'll ever see each other, Sokka. I never considered that when I left you and Aang two years ago. I don't know why, but I guess I never thought then how much I was giving up when I joined Zuko. But when I first saw you again, I realized how much I missed you –how you were such a big part of my life- and I just don't want to leave you like this.

"The necklace… it'll remind me of you, of what we all were before. I don't want to just leave this place and forget everything that has happened. Bringing the necklace with me, it will be like bringing a piece of the past, too. Because sometimes memories just aren't enough."

Sokka looked uncertain, and when she was done, he closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he was discovering that the situation wasn't just trivial and unimportant. His decision, it would mean so much to her. The girl heard someone step forward, and a moment later, she felt Zuko's supportive hand on her shoulder. Clenching her fist, she gazed at her brother earnestly.

"You do have the key, don't you?" she then questioned him.

Sokka nodded reluctantly, and to her bewilderment, he pulled something from his shirt, which revealed to be a small, jade key. He let it dangle from his hand, looking as unsure as ever as the two stared at the object, mesmerized. The necklace, her dear brother would give it to her, and then she would be complete, she wouldn't…

"Let's go," she murmured, reaching for the key, which in her eyes, had already transformed into the familiar, beautiful necklace that had once adorned her neck.

"Wait-…"

Sokka was hesitating again? No, she wouldn't, she couldn't-… And suddenly, a chilling cold spread through her, and she knew that something was very wrong. The winds, that had been persistent and almost brutal a second before, somehow stopped altogether, followed by the soft sound of quiet footsteps. A gasp, and she turned to Zuko, whose face was taut. She turned around to look, even though her mind was screaming at her to do otherwise…

And there he was. His hands limp by his sides and his pale gray eyes wide and confused, the avatar stared at all three of them. He was paler than usual, Katara noticed hazily. He looked frailer than the last time she had seen him. But what drew her attention the most was his face, that familiar, innocent face of his, and her eyes couldn't turn away from it, her mind cruelly making her remember the big, cheerful smile that used to always fill it up, make him so happy, so _invincible…_

But he was weak and vulnerable in front of her now. _Just like…_ And then, as quickly as fire came to life, realization dawned in his gray eyes, and horror and hurt crept onto his visage, and she felt her heart breaking. It was just like the last time, exactly like what had happened before, when she had confessed that she had betrayed him two years ago, at that summer's end. Small, fragile, and like a glass mirror cracking apart, he had gazed at like this…

_"No, Katara… you can't do this…. you can't…"_

"_Please, let me go, I can't stay here, I need to…"_

"_Why did you do this? I don't know how… Why, Katara, _why?"

Punching the bars, screaming her name, and clenching his fists so tight that blood ran freely from his palm, glistening red… His forlorn voice from long ago echoed inside her head. And all this lasted for merely a moment before the boy abruptly turned around and ran. Before she could do anything –cry out his name, go after him- he threw the staff he had been carrying into the air and jumped up, grasping his glider and flying away.

"Aang!" she heard Sokka shout in anguish.

Somehow her hand had found itself to her chest, and she was clutching herself tightly as she watched the fourteen-year-old become a mere, small dot in the infinite sky. She was aching all over, her agony strong as it pierced through her, tearing her apart. She looked up in the sky, surprised when she found darkness glaring at her back. It was night already, and she felt herself cradled by cold as the winds came back, this time like ice as it swept past her. Yet despite how horrible she felt, an important question still persisted in her mind. As always, Sokka was the one who asked it out loud.

"I don't get it," the seventeen-year-old moaned, apparently shaken. "I know Aang is bound to feel angry when he saw us together, but that-… it doesn't make sense!"

Why had the airbender been so horrorstricken when he had seen them? Sokka helping Katara escape, it wouldn't have been all too surprising to Aang, right? She didn't know anymore, or she could think about was his face, his hurt. And it was only when she really thought about it when a terrible possibility crossed her mind. She froze, aghast. _No…_

"It doesn't matter!" Zuko said through gritted teeth. "We need to get-…"

Yet the eighteen-year-old never did finish his sentence, because just then, the three of them heard footsteps. And before they could run, Katara heard a sharp gasp as Zuko was suddenly hit by something hard.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Another cliffhanger, although what is that something that is rather 'hard'? Yes, you guessed it, readers: Zuko got hit by a giant teddy bear! (Readers glare at the author's random immaturity.) Sorry, sorry. As my profile so eloquently says, I have issues. Anyway, this chapter really has problems concerning the later episodes of _Avatar_ that aired last September, including the fact that Aang got Katara's necklace back from Zuko and all.

Thank you, creators of _Avatar_, for making that happen. Thanks for ruining my story. (Glare.)

Hopefully, this chapter still wasn't too bad. Yeah, it was rather idiotic of Katara to want to do such a risky thing like getting her necklace back from the avatar's chambers, and it might have been unrealistic that Sokka almost let her have her way. Think about it as me portraying the weakness and downfall of human emotion.

… Or use your imagination and make up a better reason. I don't know. If this chapter really disturbed you, you can always tell me.

What else? I have a few questions that some of you might answer for me. Must you really capitalize terms like 'Avatar,' 'Waterbend,' 'Earthbender,' and the like? I started this story last year, so I'm out of date with such new etiquette, and personally, I don't think that such capitalization is necessary or even a wise thing to do. Too… much…. capitalization…. in my opinion.

Done with my ranting. (For now.)

Review if you're nice.


	19. Apart

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XVIII_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

There was a crack running through him.

Huddled quietly inside a gloomy, dark cave hidden somewhere high up among the foreboding mountains, the avatar watched the menacing rain shoot down from the ominous, black sky, every once in a while seeing a strike of lightning attacking the earth below. Outside, the noise was fierce, raucous, the sharp crash of the water stabbing the ground clashing with the cacophony of the enraged winds and the booming thunder. He could feel the powerful winds, swift and chilling to the bone, all around him, attempting to get him, to hurt him, and even though he was using his airbending to push them all away, it didn't feel as if it was helping. Because he was still feeling so cold, and through his closed eyelids, he could see the invisible scars and wounds in an intricate pattern on his fragile, white skin. A small, strangled cough escaped his lips.

Jagged and piercing. Deep and solid. The pain coursed through his every vein, freezing him, torturing him, seizing his heart and squeezing it until it would burst. He felt the heated, bitter tears mounting to his eyes, screaming to get out, but as always, he pushed them down, deep down until his eyes were sore yet dry. He was shivering, though, so cold, and a sadness that he hadn't felt since… since that _day_… was conquering him, gleefully taking over him while he trembled and wondered dejectedly what had happened. How…? Why…?

Sokka and Katara and Zuko. They had been free, together, and heading towards his chambers. And his mind, which had long been tempered to be solely rational, had long refuted any other explanation than the obvious one that had glared at him the moment his eyes had set on the three. Inside him, he felt another wound rip open, the atrocious pain making his double over as it already began bleeding abundantly. Of course, he desperately clung to his reason, trying to figure it out logically, Zuko would try such a daring stunt, but to be aided by Katara, _Sokka…_

His second-in-command had been ignoring him, giving him the cold shoulder these days. Despite his indifferent exterior, he had been confused, hurt, about how his friend had acted, how he had been trying to distance himself from him. It hadn't been as if he hadn't tried getting Sokka's attention, hadn't tried asking him out loud what was wrong, but the seventeen-year-old had never given him a chance. And now… he had betrayed him. Decided that going with the prince of the Fire Nation would bring him more than just sticking with a weak fourteen-year-old. He suddenly had a coughing fit, his coughs loud and dry as they burned through his throat and made him tremble harder. Again, tears threatened to swell from his eyes, but again, he brutally forced them down.

_Katara._ He should have expected this. Why had he been so shocked? After all, she had already betrayed him once, and the memory brought a rain of glinting knives upon him. But this time, it had been worse, because she had been helping Zuko do… _How could she?_ It was the same question that had haunted his mind when he had lain in the firebender's cell, limp and numb. He couldn't help feeling hurt, grief-stricken, at what she had done, and it made him angry, realizing that he would never learn. What had he been thinking? That the traitor waterbender had turned back to the warm girl he had had a crush on two years ago? And perhaps a part of his mind had been hoping for that, had been secretly convincing him that Katara… had still been _Katara_… when they had talked, when he had rescued her and she had gazed at him with sincere gratitude, affection.

But once again, she had betrayed him. And this time, she had dragged her brother into this, too. He squeezed his eyes shut, burying his head in his arms, feeling the cracks inside him widen, deepen its damage. He wouldn't be surprised… if the pain would eat him whole. _It… just… isn't… fair._ Everyone he had cared about…. they had either gotten themselves killed, throwing a huge weight of guilt onto his shoulders…. or _betrayed _him. Now, there was no one left. He was completely alone, and the fact threatened to split him open.

The boy almost wished that Asuka hadn't come to him earlier that day, hadn't immediately confided the terrible knowledge to him the moment he had entered the entrance hall, weary from his voyage to Bai Sing Se…

----- ----- -----

"What is it, Asuka?"

The question slipped from his lips the moment he saw the tall woman saunter briskly to him, her face as always gleaming with a certain smug pride. The avatar yawned, practically throwing himself on a bench when the warrior reached him, making it clear that she had something important to say. Shaking his head to rid himself of the small headache that had overtaken him during his trip back to Omashu, the airbender politely asked Asuka whether what she had to say could wait, and when she informed him that it couldn't, he raised a curious eyebrow at her.

"I would imagine that truly important matters would cease to exist once the war was over," he told her quietly, careful not to show any hint of annoyance.

"We should never let our guards down, avatar," Asuka replied grandly but respectfully, leaving the teen to reluctantly agree with her.

"What is it then?" he then bluntly asked. "The thing you want to tell me, that is."

The woman straightened herself even more, if that was possible, before answering:

"Just recently, I found out what the prince of the Fire Nation is planning. As you know, he is still lurking somewhere around here. Have you ever wondered why the prince hasn't already gone back to his native nation?"

_Of course,_ he silently told her, but he just shook his head, knowing that his answer would only bring more complications. However, now that she brought it up, the avatar was curious to know what was Asuka's theory.

"After much thinking, I can reasonably say that he is conspiring to murder you, avatar."

He felt a small jolt hearing the word 'murder,' but to be honest, he wasn't all that surprised. After winning against his nation and killing his father, Zuko had every motive to try to kill him. The airbender just hadn't… really thought about it. The prince himself and his intentions had entirely disappeared from his mind the moment he had become engrossed in his new mission, and it was tiring to think that he would presently have to look out for the firebender, too, on the top of the list he had to do. The fourteen-year-old sighed.

"I'll look out for him, Asuka," he then gently told her. "Don't worry. And anything else you would like to say?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"Yes," she answered seriously after a moment. "I do. Have you noticed how strange the second-in-command is acting these days?"

This got his attention. He nodded carefully.

"I think it has to do with the new prisoner," Asuka continued. "He seems to have some sort of _relationship_ with her."

"Yes," he agreed, sighing. "And that's probably because she's his sister."

For a brief moment, Asuka looked taken back. Soon, though, she regained her composure and looked thoughtful, a small frown appearing on her face.

"She's his sister?" she murmured, almost to herself. "Then it isn't wise, is it? Letting him look after her…"

The woman had a point, he hated to admit, but he trusted Sokka. And although his friend had proved to care more for Katara than he would have liked, he hadn't strayed from his duties, had he? However, the then remembered how cold the older one had recently been to him, and he was beginning to worry what was on the other's mind…

"The prisoner could be influencing him," Asuka's cold observation cut through his thoughts like a dagger, and he immediately felt a sickening dread. That couldn't happen… he wouldn't let that happen…

"What are you saying?" the young monk inquired dangerously, his eyes narrowed.

Seeing that expression, the woman withdrew slightly.

"Nothing, really," she told him quietly, softly. "But perhaps, for your best interests, you should look out for your second-in-command. In case he gets any… stranger."

Her voice heard, Asuka altogether retreated, leaving him with newfound doubts.

----- ----- -----

She had been right.

Sokka. Katara. Zuko. All at his personal door. It could only mean one thing. _Murder._ The word seemed cruel, but so far away from his world, but now he knew that everybody had been drawn into this game, and all had been playing against him. He felt numb, his sorrow making him feel empty while the hurt still scorched within his chest.

Sokka must have known he had arrived a few days earlier than he had planned, and he must have known that he must have been exhausted from his journey. It had been the perfect moment to attack, to finish him off, wasn't it? The war had long ended, but he had never felt so pained, so helpless, and the cold outside was like blue fire, burning through his skin, passionate as it slowly dominated him, its biting sting almost loving as it made his skin raw and a tint of ghostly blue.

He knew he couldn't hide here forever. He had to go back and pretend to be big and strong, to resume his place as the long-suffering avatar. He wished he could stay here, that he could still be alone to decay in his pain instead of going back and being forced to see them. Because then his emotions would ignite to such a point that it would break him, eating him inside out until he collapsed. Yet he couldn't have that, could he? Slowly opening his eyes, he shook his head. The point of being the avatar was to be in control, and the instant he had seen the enemy at his door, with a knife, he had let go of all the control he had so painstakingly gathered the last two years.

Even now, he felt it slip from his fingers, and he clenched his fist, as if he could stop just grasp back all that he had lost with one simple move. However, it appeared as if he could, because as he took a deep breath, he felt everything gradually withdraw back into him. When he sighed again, he felt as if he was back in control. True, he felt strangely empty, a thick void where his emotions had been just hovering inside him, but it was better than feeling chaos reigning over, wasn't it? Everything had receded into a dull agony stirring slowly in his chest, and he felt better. Actually… he felt almost… nothing at all. The thought made him lightheaded.

Suddenly, he remembered one of his nightmares. He recalled Avatar Roku's enraged façade, his thunderous words, and as he gradually stood up, watching the storm outside with eyes calm once more, he thought to himself that he would not fail Roku. He would not fail himself. The avatar… had to stay in control.

----- ----- -----

"Zuko!"

Recovering himself from a waterbending attack, the prince heard her frightened voice, followed by a shuffling noise, but before he could register what was happening exactly, he heard the distinct sound of a furious water whip. A moment later, Katara let out a pained shriek, and the firebender immediately jumped up, ready to attack the one who had harmed her. Besides him, Sokka looked alert, scowling at the darkness in front of them that was veiling the enemy. However, the black soon dissipated when a small fire appeared in midair. All three of them stared at it, mesmerized, until the fire grew big enough to show a young firebender staring solemnly at them. The flames flared even higher, and then they saw that the firebender wasn't alone.

Zuko heard a sharp intake of breath from the water tribe peasant when they were abruptly face-to-face with a woman clad in black, that infuriating blond waterbender, and a dozen of guards behind them.

"Maya? Asuka? Gloria?" Sokka whispered softly.

"Apparently, you couldn't take the firebender on your own after all," the shorter woman (apparently named Gloria, Zuko thought) retorted. "We decided to help."

Glowering at all of them, both of the prince's fists immediately alighted, and he was already preparing to strike when the taller woman shook her head at him, all the while smiling mockingly at him.

"You don't want to do that, I'm afraid," she told him quietly. "Look here."

She motioned to her right. Fear gripped him when he realized that one of the guards had already drawn his arrow, which was now pointed at Katara. The girl was on the ground, gritting her teeth and obviously hurting. No matter how much she moved to try to avoid the enemy's pointed weapon, the arrow followed her so that it was always pointed directly to her heart.

"One false move, prince…" the ninja woman hissed, and Zuko didn't need for her to finish her sentence.

He glanced at Katara, immediately knowing that she was in no condition to run for it… not that she would have much of a chance if she did. Her archer seemed very experienced in his art. Running for it, though, appeared to be the only thing for him to do, but having the image of Katara sprawled onto the ground, vulnerable, blazed into his mind, he knew that the notion was laughable. If he ran away without the waterbender, it would be a coward's act. He could pick her up and escape, but to do that successfully… that was next to impossible. And he already knew what would happen if he tried picking a fight with the enemy. They were trapped.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide," the blond said lightly, as if reading his thoughts. "Erin, Ryo… take the prince. Taria, Yun… take the girl. And Kang, keep your arrow on the waterbender."

Zuko scowled when the two guards got hold of his wrists, soon bounding them tightly together with rope before leading him back to the door they had come from. When he tried to burn the ropes off, he found to his irritation that they were fireproof. At least he still had Katara in sight, he thought as he watched her being led in front of him. Yet the moment they arrived at an intersection, the girl's guards steered to the left while his own went to the right. He narrowed his eyes, wishing dearly that his hands were free.

A few minutes later, the avatar's guards threw him unceremoniously into a cell, leaving him with his hands tied as they closed the door behind him. There was only darkness now, which only made it more difficult for the prince to ease himself up. He was unable to firebend and he was the avatar's prisoner, but he knew that this wasn't going to last long. He was the prince of the Fire Nation, after all, and a stubborn one, too. He was confident that he would escape, that he would free Katara, too, and then… _The avatar will pay._

This was far from over.

----- ----- -----

"How did you find us?"

Sokka gazed impassively at Asuka, although his emotions were in turmoil. Nevertheless, he kept cool, because he didn't need Asuka's suspicions on top of everything he had to deal with already. If she knew that he had been _helping_ Zuko free Katara instead of trying (and failing) to fight him off… The seventeen-year-old inwardly flinched. There was too much that he was hiding, from his fellow Resistance members, from _Aang_ (at that, his insides twisted horribly), but this was not the time to come clean. He had to play this game of secrets and treachery… for a little while longer.

He and Katara were back where they had started. Her cell. Sitting besides him, his sister had her head down, refusing to look at Asuka or him as she kept her eyes on her arms, which were in a worse condition than they had been before after suffering from Gloria's powerful water whip. Another twinge of guilt. But Sokka had to stay on the main goal, which was to satisfy Asuka with his answers and make sure that she didn't suspect a thing. Easier said than done, of course, because the woman was naturally wary, especially when it concerned _him._ At that, an imperceptible sigh escaped his lips.

"You don't sound as grateful as you should be, commander," Asuka raised her eyebrow, smiling wryly at him. "But if you need to know, Gloria and I found Taro on the floor a while ago, and when we saw his burns, we were convinced that there was a firebender in the castle. After that, it was pretty easy spotting the prince."

_Taro._ Sokka should have known not to just leave the man unconscious on the floor, but what else could he have done then? Remembering the horrid burn on the other's shoulder, his remorse grew, dark, heavy, and destructive. But he presently had to keep himself focused on Asuka. If he showed any signs of what he was feeling, she would certainly know.

"How is he, by the way?" the boy then asked nonchalantly.

"In the hospital wing," the woman replied crisply. "His burn is rather bad, but I'm sure the healers will be able to fix him up."

"That's good."

The two of them stared at each other evenly for a long moment, Asuka's glimmering black eyes drilling into his azure ones; he could tell that she was trying to pierce through him, to figure out what he was thinking. He held on to her gaze, though, determined not to show any weakness in front of him, to remain in command. After all, it had always been hard getting respect out of the aloof woman, and she took every flaw of his as something to lash out on him at the right time. The heavy silence was only broken when Katara's head unexpectedly shot up, her eyes sharp as she turned to face Asuka.

"Where is he? What are you going to do with him?"

"Such a nice girl like you should know when to keep your mouth shut," the woman said venomously. "But if you must know, he is probably going to be executed, the moment the avatar returns… from his brief trip."

The waterbender gasped, although what happened to Zuko was the least of Sokka's worries. The prince could be killed for all he cared. It was Katara who he was worried about, and he was angry at himself for caring so much for her, even after what she had done. His feelings, which he should have suppressed the moment he had seen her the first time in her cell, had dragged him into this hideous situation, and because of everything he had done recklessly for her, he had hurt Aang, lashed mercilessly at his best friend… and for what? His sister would be executed in the end anyway. He had gotten himself into an irreversible mess.

"Surprised?" Asuka taunted, her eyes widening in feigned bewilderment. "How could you be? You should have known your prince couldn't live long in avatar territory. He has been lucky so far, to escape us, to escape the many attempts people have done to try to kill him. You should have known he was dead the moment he sneaked into the castle to try to save you, or else when the YuuYan archers almost finished him off. Oh, well," she shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "The prince will die in the hands of the avatar now. And there is nothing you can do."

She articulated her last words deliberately, clearly trying to inflict pain on the sixteen-year-old, and when Sokka looked at Katara and saw her fight back her tears, he sighed, bitterly wondering whether the woman was relishing in her success in making her sister cry. But Asuka's contempt was justifiable, wasn't it? Her spite, it was merely directed to the enemy, and he should feel as if Katara deserved it, especially since it was because of the prince that she had delivered the first blow to Aang. The boy clenched his fist.

He was still angry with Katara for everything she had done, for her betrayal and her lies. Yet hate was another thing completely. He would never be able to loathe the girl, not when she still believed that she was doing the right thing, and he could certainly never bear to see her killed. He would never forgive his sister, though, and perhaps he would never really trust her again, but there was something of the past he was still holding on to, and this had prevented him from rejecting her in the first place.

He couldn't believe that it all lead to this, though. To Aang standing there in front of the three of them just now, looking at them –at _him_- with those huge, pained eyes of his, his face flickering from confusion to understanding and finally to hurt. His insides wrenched unbearably, leaving him with a leaden weight on his chest, hard and nearly suffocating him. Guilt, self-directed anger… it was all he could feel, leaving no room for him to feel indignant at his best friend anymore. Aang had had the power to just kill Katara without telling him. But _him_… betraying the avatar, his best friend… that was unacceptable.

But there was a piece of the puzzle that he was missing, Sokka was sure. Because when he had seen realization dawn on the avatar, there had been something he could have sworn that he had been ignorant of. He had been only trying to free Katara with Zuko, and remembering what had shown on the younger boy's face then, he knew that the avatar had seen more than just his second-in-command helping his prisoner escape. His emotions had been just too _intense_ for that. And it made him feel sick, knowing that he had done something far worse than he thought. He felt as if he had signed a contract with a lethal fine print, and now he was paying dearly for his miscalculations.

"When Zuko gets executed," he soon found himself saying in a monotonous voice, "what will he be charged for?"

Another gasp from Katara before she gave him a dirty look, but he simply ignored her. Somehow he had just uttered the question before he had been fully aware of what he was saying, but he was presently almost eagerly waiting for Asuka's answer. It confused him, though, because he already knew why the prince's execution would take place anyway. He was just going to hear what he already knew.

"Good question, Sokka," Asuka replied, her tone hinting sarcasm. "Well, let's see," she held up her fingers. "One for being Fire Lord Ozai's son… two for being an enemy and nevertheless sneaking into the castle and trying to free a prisoner of the avatar's… and three," a grim smile appeared, "for attempting to murder the avatar."

That got an instant reaction. In a swift second, the boy stood up, incredulous as he demanded:

"_What?"_

It was like his worst nightmares coming true. When Asuka raised her eyebrow and repeated the horrid fact, he suddenly felt nauseated, faint, and everything came together. What Aang had seen when he had caught them all at his door, it was more terrible than he could have imagined it. His best friend, he thought he was an accomplice of a _murderer_, and what more… of a murderer who wanted to destroy him. Putting a hand on his forehead, he slowly sat down, shutting his eyes tightly as if that could dispel the cruel reality that was now cackling in his face. If he had thought before that he had been feeling bad, it was nothing compared to this. His guilt, his disgust towards himself… his emotions swelled until it was an ominous chasm, and he knew he was about to fall….

He glanced at Katara, feeling a small flicker of anger when he saw her stricken face and realizing that she had known this all along. Another lie she had told him, this time small yet lethal. He didn't know what to feel towards her (pain? Rage?), but the moment he opened his mouth, Asuka motioned to him.

"Time to go, commander," she told him, already heading towards the door. "Gloria's scheduling a meeting, and I believe it's going to start about now."

"Okay then," he said quietly, standing up again.

He refused to look at Katara, because seeing her miserable façade would just remind him of what had happened, about what he had done…

----- ----- -----

Moments before dawn broke through the night, the avatar returned to his castle.

As pale as a full moon and soaked from the vicious tempest still in full force outside, the fourteen-year-old's face was as unreadable as ever when he slowly opened the door to the entrance hall, his head up high as he stepped inside, not knowing exactly where he was going and not caring either. His warriors stared at him, speechless, when he passed by them, yet he ignored them when they called out to him, wondering where he had gone, what he had been up to.

_This has to stop._

He was in full power again, feeling calm and empty, and his gray eyes gazed at his surroundings in apathy. A simple betrayal didn't matter, did it? He could handle everything by himself, and if the prince wanted to have anything to do with him, he could have his shot. Now that that he was in control, he was back as the all-powerful avatar, and he would not let a mere firebender conquer him.

_You can't fail._

Avatar Roku's harsh words echoed in his mind until they embedded itself deep inside him. Failure was not an option, he knew now. If he lost, the world would be in chaos, and it would be all because of him. From the beginning, his life wasn't for him, it was for the strangers outside. He couldn't let any small, personal things hinder him, weaken him… _It's not for me._ He closed his eyes.

_You can't fail._

When Gloria found him, she found him clean and dry in his chambers, serenely watching the savage storm from the comfort of his bed.

"Avatar," she looked flustered and even a little embarrassed as she entered his room. "You're back, I see."

He didn't bother answering her but, with a slight motion with his head, beckoned her to continue.

"We caught the prince," the waterbender said briskly. "He was trying to free the waterbender prisoner."

Again, he didn't say anything. He turned to look at her this time, though, and he swore he saw her shiver as his cold gray eyes met hers.

"Uh… The prince is naturally assumed to be executed soon, but…"

"Yes, execute him on my say-so."

Gloria nodded and bowed slightly.

"And what about the waterbender?" she then asked, if not a little tentatively. "Should she… get any punishment?"

The avatar stiffened, remembering her gentle smiles and her ruthless actions.

"Execution," his voice came out wintry and stern. "And I'll do it on my own. At sunset today."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Yes, another lovely chapter with angst and painful realizations and a cliffhanger. I'm hoping you readers are being greatly entertained by the quickening pace of the story. I also hope Iwasn't being too verbose when I was portrayingAang's point of view in the beginning. I wanted it to be descriptive and feeling, but I know that too many words can just ruin the whole mood altogether. Please comment if you feel that I overdid the first part of the chapter.

There's not much else to say, is there? Enjoy and anticipate the next chapter, which will arrive soon.

Review if you're nice.


	20. Sunset

**Hardened Winds**

_Chapter XIX_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

He heard the horrible news as it traveled from person to person, from hallway to hallway, until it finally reached his secluded cell.

Fear momentarily gripped him, made him realize that he was running against time, but the useless emotion soon vanished, to be replaced by his usual fury and determination. Outside, he heard excited murmurs of the avatar's men, their words freely flowing to his ears as they all wondered what had possessed the avatar to just execute a harmless prisoner on a whim, as they all asked themselves what exactly their leader had done when he had been out… Meanwhile, his own anger, like white-hot lava bubbling inside him, only became more agitated, more eager to get out, and a small curse escaped his lips as he thought about…

_The avatar._

The fool. The bastard. How dare he decide to just execute Katara now for all the public to know, when he had failed to kill her in secret? The boy was beyond low; his atrocious decision had sealed his own fate. Because the prince was sure that he would get out of this damn cell, that he would be able to intervene before the avatar could even lay a finger on the waterbender. And the moment he would set eyes on the coldhearted fourteen-year-old, he would tear him to shreds.

_The avatar will be no more._

That would please his nation, he mused, smirking. The death of the young monk would perk up his people's spirits, wouldn't it? When he came back to the Fire Nation, he would resume his rightful place at the throne, and then… His mind halted, and he closed his eyes shut, scowling. He couldn't envision the distant future anymore, not after what his uncle had told him. Every time he tried to imagine himself, euphoric with the world in his hands, he instead heard Uncle Iroh's solemn words, reminding him, taunting him….

The firebender slowly opened his eyes. Now wasn't about the distant future. It was about Katara.

"I heard he's going to execute her at sunset…"

"That early?"

"I heard he's going to execute her before he goes to the prince…"

_Sunset._ So he didn't have much time, did he? He was unfortunately locked in the dungeons, so he had no access to windows that could have told him exactly what time it was. No matter, though. He would know when it would be the right time to escape, and when the ropes bounding his hands at last fell away after much struggling, the prince smiled. He held up a hand in front of him, his smile widening as fire soon erupted from his fingers, licking harmlessly at his flesh. In his mind, he saw these flames assail the avatar, eating through his skin, and the image seemed so real, so intense... that he knew he would not fail.

----- ----- -----

She was going to be executed at sunset today.

Somehow, the chilling fact did not surprise her, did not envelop her in sheer terror, because a part of her thought that she deserved it. Surprisingly, she didn't feel anything, only sensing an eerie calm brewing inside her, almost assuring her that she had nothing to be afraid of, that everything would be all right. That was anything but likely, though, she knew as she sighed and leaned on the damp wall, her eyes subconsciously darting to the window, registering what period of the day it was, how much longer she had to live…

She remembered his face. Aang's innocent, pale façade crying with unshed tears. That brought a fresh wave of guilt and shame upon her, almost drowning her with their contemptuous words, with her terrible realizations. She briefly wondered why she was feeling so bad now, when she hadn't felt nearly this awful the last time she had done something to him, when she had _truly_ betrayed him… But she knew, and a part of her didn't wish to have this horrible knowledge.

Yet…. it was all a terrible misunderstanding, wasn't it? In truth, none of them –she, Sokka, nor even Zuko- had wanted to hurt him this way. It had only been a harmless attempt to free her. She knew that Aang wouldn't listen to any of them, though, if they tried explaining everything to him, and who could blame the airbender? So in a way, she didn't deserve to die, not for what she had just done, yet her execution… it had long been awaited for in the first place. Ever since she had prevented the boy from defeating Ozai two years ago. She had been lucky that Aang hadn't decided to kill her the moment he had learned from Sokka that she was residing in his castle.

Of course, she had taken her luck for granted, pushing it, stretching it, until the monk couldn't take it anymore, until… A single tear slid down her cheek. Funny how she was so stupid, especially for her age. She always learned things too late. She recalled the day when she had fought with her brother years ago, when he had been such an idiot and she had shouted at him with all her fury, her exasperation, all the while subconsciously using her waterbending to such an extent that the waters below them had become agitated, had threatened to throw them overboard… She remembered Sokka yelling at her to stop, to look at what she was doing, but she didn't listen… not until she cracked an iceberg, at least. She had been lucky, then.

She hadn't been so fortunate when it came to Jet, though. The jerk. She smiled bitterly at the memory, closing her eyes. She had been the last person to learn what the delinquent was truly up to, so convinced that he had been good, that she had had a right to have a crush on him. Even Aang (it hurt to think about him), so young, so trusting, had realized Jet's true nature before she had had. And once again, she was learning, but all too late.

The door opened just then. Avoiding her eyes, Sokka entered her cell, effortlessly tossing her the small basket he was carrying before immediately turning around, ready to leave.

"My last meal, isn't it?" she questioned him quietly, fingering with the basket.

Sokka had already had a hand on the knob, his back towards her, but when she threw her inquiry, he abruptly froze. His body stiffened, and although he still refused to say anything, she knew that he was listening. Seeing her brother again and knowing that it was perhaps the last time she would lay eyes on him, she felt pain mingled with happiness. Still, it was nice to have some company, even if it would be a little uncomfortable, she thought as she pulled a red apple from the basket.

"So fitting," she whispered, eyeing the fruit with mild interest. "It reminds me of a fairytale Mother used to tell us all the time."

Again, her brother remained silent, but a smile tugged at the girl's lips as she continued quietly:

"Once upon a time, there was a pretty but cruel girl. All the boys across the land wanted her hand, but what the girl wanted most was the perfect fruit. It sounded strange to her suitors, yet fruit was rare from where they come from, because their home was surrounded by ice… where fruit could not grow, could not prosper to beauty. Remember? One boy, though, went across the world to find what the girl wanted, finally finding the most beautiful apple, flawlessly round and shining red. It was a new fruit that no one had ever tasted before, but the boy didn't care. He returned to his love and gave her the apple, not knowing that the fruit was really poisonous.

"The moment she took the first bite, the girl began dying, feeling pain no one has ever experienced, and the last words she breathed…. condemned the innocent boy to death. A dark fairytale, Mother used to call it."

Sokka didn't say anything, but he bowed his head down, and Katara knew that he was remembering the story, their mother… everything the two were supposed to have let go. Thinking about the story made her feel nostalgic, and she wondered why it had suddenly sprang up into her mind, why she had been compelled to bring the fairytale alive once more. Perhaps she had wanted to share one last memory with her brother, to hold on to the past…. But her brother had other things on his mind, she knew: doubts, anger... There were questions swirling inside his head, making it hard for him to talk to her, and with a sigh, she spoke up the things she had wanted to forget about.

"Sokka, I'm sorry," she began softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what Zuko had on his mind the moment he learned the Fire Nation fell. But you have to know that he never _seriously_ considered it. It was just a reckless idea Zuko had, I'm sure he would have never… You know him, at least _I_ know him. He gets carried away by his anger, shouting things he never means. And he never really put his plan into action. Every time he came to the castle, it was only for me, Sokka, I promise. He never tried laying a finger on Aang… And he stopped talking about it after a while, anyway. I thought he forgot all about it, at least until…"

She paused for a moment, uncertain whether to continue, but it appeared as if her brother knew what she was holding back, because he then nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry," she murmured again. "I know you're probably so angry at me, and this time, I know why. You have every right to be, but…"

"You're right."

She blinked at him, bemused at how he had so swiftly interrupted her. The seventeen-year-old still had his back towards her, yet he was more relaxed now, she could tell.

"You're right," he repeated, sighing. "I have every right to be angry, and… I _am_. But it just seems so useless, you know," he shrugged, another sigh escaping his lips. "I just don't have the will to be mad at you, not when I feel that I should be beating myself up for what happened. I don't think… my anger will do anything, anyway."

"It's not your fault that everything happened like this. It's my fault. I was stupid about the necklace."

The boy finally turned around to face her.

"Yes," he said lightly, grinning a little. "You _were_ stupid about the necklace. Girls and their jewelry," he then muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You know it wasn't just about that!" she almost snapped, but a moment later, she shook her head and laughed quietly. "But maybe it was…" she said pensively as an afterthought.

"Good thing I didn't give in to you."

"You were about to!"

Giving her a flat look, Sokka shook his head and sat next to her.

"You should have told me what Zuko wanted to do," he told her, looking into the distance. "But I hid a lot of things from people, too…. especially from Aang. I shouldn't have, either, so I'll be really hypocritical if I just yell at you now. Doesn't mean you should just take this lightly," he then added, giving her a warning look.

"Why?" she retorted. "It's not as if I'm going to live long enough to do anything, anyway."

She had wanted to get the reply out casually, almost in a joking way, but the moment Sokka heard her, he turned away and she knew she had made a mistake. For a long time, there was an uncomfortable silence, the two of them at loss of what to say, until her brother cleared her throat.

"All this time," he whispered, raising an eyebrow at her, "all this time I was trying to keep you safe –to make sure you didn't get yourself killed- and it all ends up like this. Figures."

"Thank-you, though. Thanks for everything you did for me. Because you didn't do… anything wrong."

Sokka looked bewildered, and a moment later, he opened his mouth as if to contradict her. Soon, though, he closed it, apparently knowing it was useless arguing with her and satisfying himself instead by gazing at her skeptically.

"I need to go now," he then stood up. "I'm going to try… to talk to Aang. To explain to him what happened. Not to say that I have a chance of convincing him to let you go," he told her gravely. "Or to trust me ever again, for that matter." He sighed.

"I don't expect anything," the waterbender said just as somberly.

"I'll… uh… good-bye, then," was all her dear brother could manage before he slipped from her cell.

Things were still… awkward between them, Katara mused, stretching and lying down on her bench. But still, he had taken his time to see her, right? She felt slightly better after his visit, but she had to admit, she also felt slightly worse. There was simply too much melancholy in everything. _Oh, well._ She thought about what was going to happen to her, and still death didn't seem so scary for the moment. There was no use getting scared and restless. The avatar would get what he wanted, and she hoped that his wounds would heal, that perhaps her death would be one good thing happening to him…

----- ----- -----

Sunset was approaching.

Already, the sky had become tinted crimson while its clouds stretched towards the sun, abandoning its pure white color as a shade of reddish gray descended upon them. The winds were calmer than they had been last night, and Sokka sighed as the cold breeze tingled his skin, making a small chill pass through his body. He was in his room, perched on his window and staring at the changing day through half-closed eyes. He knew that he had told Katara he would try to talk to Aang, but the moment he had entered the highest level, something… had stopped him from going any farther, and he had retreated back to his chambers.

Pitiful, he knew, closing his eyes and frowning. It had been apprehension that had prevented him from seeing the avatar, because he doubted he could have stood seeing his best friend's dejected face, that he could have tolerated the fourteen-year-old's cold tone as he dismissed him. He just couldn't do it. Not now. Besides, would his words truly make a difference? Would Aang… believe him? Perhaps, perhaps not. His friend was usually open-minded and forgiving, true, but how much could he be pushed until he reached the limit? Sokka had a sick feeling that they had crossed the line last night, when Aang had quickly come to the wrong conclusion, and maybe… maybe his friend needed some time alone before he approached him?

However, his sister's life was on the line. It wasn't likely that he would convince Aang to spare Katara's life (after all, both of them knew that she had already performed high treason, which was alone enough to get her executed), but… if there was the slightest chance to save his sister's life and he didn't take it… he would never forgive himself. Already, he doubted he would ever stop blaming himself for what had just happened, for the pain he had caused to his best friend, and he smiled bitterly when he realized that he himself wasn't a very forgiving person. He never had been, had he? He wasn't very trusting, either, he mused, remembering his first reaction to the boy in the iceberg a millennium ago.

He was taken back when he lifted his eyes and saw that the skies had become more darker, much redder, than they had been just moments before. Abruptly, he stood up, this time determined to see Aang, to at least try to talk to him. It didn't matter that it would be agony staring into those bleak, angry eyes of his, reminiscing about what he had done, but keeping Aang in the dark forever… that wouldn't help either. The more time the avatar was alone thinking about what he had seen last night, the more he'd be convinced that Sokka was an accomplice to the enemy. _And we can't have that, can we?_

Seconds later, the second-in-command strode out of his room, his pace so quick that in a matter of mere moments, he was standing in front of the avatar's door. Confronting the sophisticated wooden door ornamented with golden patterns, he faltered, uncertain once again on whether he was ready to face what was behind the door. _No,_ he told himself sternly, _I'm going to talk to him. Right here. Right now._ Having gained back his confidence, he was about to grab the doorknob when all of a sudden, the door opened by itself, making Sokka stagger back in surprise. When he managed to stand upright again, Gloria was in front of him, wearing a quizzical expression.

"Why were you so close to the door?" she asked, amusement so evident in her tone.

"I can do whatever I want," the boy responded childishly, and the blond pulled a dubious face before laughing.

"Of course," she at last concurred, smiling.

"I'm going to see the avatar now, Gloria," Sokka then became serious, "please move aside."

Yet instead of listening to him, the woman's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip, a worried expression taking over her face.

"Anything wrong?" he inquired, starting to feel exasperated.

"The avatar doesn't want to see anyone now, Sokka," she told him rather gently. "He dismissed me before I could tell him what I wanted to say."

He should have expected this, he knew, but as the idiot he often was, Gloria's news came out as a blow for him.

"Did he actually say that he didn't want see anyone?" he said a moment later; maybe he could find a loophole.

"Yup."

This was not good news at all, and he scowled. For a tiny, brief second, his mind suggested that he withdrew, that he could talk with Aang another day, but he immediately waved off the option, keeping his ground. Aang didn't want to see him, anyway, he reasoned. A specific order didn't mean anything to him. Besides, he was the second-in-command. This was exactly the situation where special privileges came in handy, right?

"Please move aside," he repeated.

"Didn't you just hear what I said?"

"Yes," he nodded, "but I have something urgent to say to him. I'm sure he'll forgive me. I'm second-in-command, by the way," he crossed his arms, giving Gloria a mock authoritative look, "so I order you to step aside!"

"You can't order me to do anything," the waterbender gave him a condescending look, but she nevertheless listened to him this time. "He's not in the best of moods, Sokka," she warned him as she walked away, "so I hope you'll be careful with your words."

_I will,_ he answered silently, entering Aang's room. When he looked at the familiar surroundings, he was strangely startled. He hadn't expected to see the same things he had seen in Aang's room the many times he had come here before. It was as if… he had expected his room to change, to transform according to his master's moods. It was stupid notion, he knew, but it made him feel odd, uneasy, when he gazed at the same, huge bed with its neatly tucked thin sheets and at the chestnut drawers at its usual location. It was strange that he had seen the exact same setting just days ago, when he had been on good terms with his best friend, and although everything was different now, the room had stayed the same, unaffected by what had happened.

His eyes then scanned for the young monk, and when he saw his best friend on the balcony, his back towards him and still oblivious of his presence, Sokka froze. He didn't know what to say anymore, how to begin, as he stared at the airbender. His situation was just… so uncertain. Yet he couldn't just remain immobile like this forever, could he? And the best way to start was always with an apology, he had heard. Taking a deep (but quiet) breath, Sokka took another step forward.

"Aang," he said, and he was thankful that his voice didn't waver. "I'm sorry."

He saw the younger boy become rigid, and in a second, he had whirled around. Horror flashed across his visage before his face hardened. With amazing speed, the avatar sauntered towards Sokka, and the other was momentarily bemused. However, when the fourteen-year-old swiftly passed him without a word, his surprise turned into desperation. He had to make Aang _listen._

"Zuko wasn't trying to kill you!" he cried. "It was because of the necklace! I just didn't want Katara to be killed, and Zuko… he never meant it…"

He wasn't making any sense. He couldn't grasp the words that would make Aang stop, that would make him turn around and believe him. The other was already at the door, and when Sokka rushed to him and put a tentative hand on his shoulder, the avatar easily shook it off.

"I don't want to have anything to do with you now," his voice came out, quiet and cold. "I'll… deal with you later."

With that, the fourteen-year-old slammed the door shut in front of the face of his second-in-command, leaving the latter to feel more ashamed and disconsolate than he had ever been.

----- ----- -----

There were sounds coming out of the cell.

Muffled and so quiet that it wouldn't be too hard to be believe that they were imagined, the two sentries guarding the prisoner listened attentively to what was going on inside the cell, frowning in concentration and ready to take the captive on in case he tried anything rash. For a few moments, the soft, dull sounds continued, yet when they suddenly stopped, the guards only became tenser. The enemy could be currently planning for the final strike, quieting himself only to lure the two sentries into a false sense of security.

The two earthbenders faced the doors, their weapons drawn, and waited. Yet when moments turned to long, agonizing minutes and silence still reigned, the men gradually lowered their spears. Another few minutes passed by until they could relax again, even letting out a small sigh of relief. Nobody wanted to deal with a firebender, especially not the unpredictable heir to the Fire Nation throne.

Sadly, they barely had time to regain their breath when all of a sudden, the door burst open, and before the two guards could defend themselves, could cry out for help, the furious prince was in front of them, glaring at them both with his fiery golden eyes, and the last thing the men saw was a wave of enraged fire ready to engulf them…

----- ----- -----

Although the candles' fires were small, a calm, vibrant hue as its flames lethargically moving in a hypnotic dance, there was an intoxicating warmth in the grand prisoner's chamber, thick and suffocating. The shadows crawling everywhere in the room was darker –more dominating- as it hungrily reached out for the light, attempting to stifle it for good. As always the door was bolted shut, but there had been a few adjustments to the prisoner's chamber. Instead of the normal steel chair confining the captive, there were now two towering wooden poles. Thick ropes could be seen from the bottom and the tip of the poles, securely attached to the posts while they also paralyzed the current prisoner's hands and feet. Her limbs were stretched out, her arms forming a V shape behind her back while her feet were safely spread apart. The captive was completely restrained.

Leaning on one of the poles was the second-in-command, who kept casting worried glances to the prisoner. His small, imperceptible gestures irritated the avatar, who remained unmoving as he gazed at his prisoner with an expressionless face. He dearly wished that he was alone, without the other's perturbing presence, but Sokka had had done everything he could to secure his position here. He had proclaimed that he would be a witness to the execution before the fourteen-year-old could say otherwise, and when he had had a chance to dismiss the older one, it had been too late. Because it was normal for Sokka to accompany the avatar when it came to interrogating prisoners, and now, people expected that the second-in-command would also be besides him during executions.

_Execution._ It was a brutal, merciless word, sending pricking shivers to his spine. This was going to be his first official execution, but his warriors had already started throwing the word as if there would be more to come, as if the war hadn't ended, as if there were more blood to shed… Perhaps they had sensed a change in him, a darkness that had cloaked a part of him the moment he had come back from the mountains, filled with a new kind of black determination. To them, it was a small but solid transformation, but…

_Let's get this over with._

He slowly began walking towards the girl, keeping his gray eyes fixed on her while viciously suppressing all the memories her kind face brought to him. She was looking at him serenely, her round, light blue eyes sorrowful but accepting, and he almost wanted her to be angry at him, to scream at him and prove to him that she was nothing but a terrible, horrifying monster. Then he wouldn't have to feel guilty, at least a little, of what he going to do. /then he would be able to come out of this with no regrets.

His heart felt heavy, about to fall any moment, and suddenly he couldn't stand gazing at her anymore. He swiftly turned away, and for a short-lived second, his eyes instead locked on another pair of cerulean ones, Sokka's. His friend… no, his _former_ friend… his eyes were filled with regret and sadness, but the monk refused to absorb it all, to even think about forgiving the South Pole native. Not now. What he needed was to be alone, and the moment this was done, he would lock himself in his room, acquire some space, and hopefully he would gain some peace.

With a fluent gesture, his hand alighted, his fire tranquil and ready to eat through flesh. He saw horror and fear cross the waterbender's eyes before she bit her lips and closed her eyes, yet it was too late for her. Her fate had been sealed the moment she had decided to turn his back on him that fateful summer's end.

_Why, Katara… why?_

He scowled when he heard his own forlorn voice pierce through the chasm of his mind, bringing back the hurt that had so ruthlessly overtaken him when he had been the prisoner, the weak one lying on the patched cell floor. Closing his eyes, it took some time before he managed to completely shut the voice from his ears. This was what this was for, wasn't it? he wondered, glancing at the waterbender and then back to his own flamed fist. To at last drown the past down until it was unable to haunt him anymore. The downfall of the girl… it was supposed to be the final act to seal away everything.

"Good-bye, Katara," he then whispered, looking back at her one last time.

He heard something like a whimper from her, but when he drew back his fist, she stayed as motionless as ever. This should be easy, he thought, closing his eyes and prepared to give the blow that had finished Fire Lord Ozai… but… Katara didn't deserve that, did she? She wasn't as bad as him, she was-….

His thoughts were cut short when the deafening noise of the two doors kicked violently open crashed into his ears like a thunderous wave. When he turned around, his hand still on fire, he took a step back, his eyes widening, when he saw Zuko a few feet away from him, his own ablaze fist pointing menacingly at him.

"Make one move on Katara," he murmured dangerously, his eyes narrowed, " and I'll kill you."

The avatar could have fought with firebender. He could have pushed the firebender right back into his cell, even kill him with one swipe if he felt like it. But as he stared at the banished prince, who was risking everything for the girl he would have done the same years ago, he couldn't stand it anymore. Everyone else… they had something –_someone-_ to hold, to cling onto… Katara and Zuko, they had each other, Sokka… he still had Katara, along with a certain other girl who had come to him not too long ago… But he was, he would always be…

Slowly, he let his fist fall to his side, the fire already extinguished from his hand.

"Do whatever you want," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I… don't care."

Suddenly, none of it seemed worthwhile. Katara didn't truly deserve to die, did she? And what would be the point of fighting with an infuriated firebender for something… he himself didn't believe in? Zuko would be fighting with passion, with purpose, but what about him? There was no point to anything of this.

He was…. breaking. The cracks within him widened, expanded until it let the cold and the hurt back out. Heat. Ice. His illness came back to him in full force, and he almost doubled over from the unexpected weakness that had so quickly seized him. He was remembering everything… the past, his nightmares… and the horrid images flooded his mind. He saw the three of them gawking at him in horror yesterday, and the agony burned through his chest… Katara, he saw her in front of him, smiling warmly as she stabbed him, killed him… And finally, Ozai's gaunt, feral face as he destroyed him, the Fire Lord's savage visage clearly saying that he would come to his own cruel fate…

_Well, he was right, wasn't he?_

In front of him, Zuko's fury slowly receded, gradually being replaced by an awkward uncertainty.

"I'll kill you," he whispered, and it was obvious that he was struggling with himself.

"Do whatever you want."

He was cold, shivering. Fragile, vulnerable, and dying. It didn't matter if he died now. He couldn't defend himself, he didn't want to defend himself… _Control._ He had lost it. Completely. The moment Zuko had come barging in, determined to save the waterbender, full of fiery purpose, he had lost everything he had tried desperately to clutch onto… He was acting stupid, foolish beyond reason, but he couldn't bring himself to care, to do anything. Malicious voices whispered in his ear, Sokka's pleading words from the afternoon, Zuko's righteous fury, Katara… her sweet, venomous excuses… and something from so long ago…

"_I only want what's best for Aang."_

"_Yes… but what we _need _is what's best for the world."_

And that was what they had gotten. The best for the world. Because the child Aang had given up everything, had sacrificed everything that had been his… But now, he couldn't give anymore. He couldn't… do anything. He was only fourteen, barely a teenager… why did people… expect so much of him? And he had tried so hard, hadn't he? He had tried so hard to rise up, to win…

A dull sound hitting the floor. It took a moment before he learned that it had been his own legs collapsing under his weight. He was so sick, trembling uncontrollably, but no one was supposed to help him, he was the one who was supposed to help others…

"Aang."

Someone was calling to him, but that couldn't be, could it? He was just… hallucinating, having these delusions that came from his trivial desires. And they must have taken total control of him, because a minute later, he could have sworn he heard someone sit down in front of him.

"Aang."

The disembodied voice was louder, yet somehow still soft and gentle, but he was too tired to look up and see nothingness stare back at him. That was until a hand lifted his chin up, and he was face to face with the prisoner he was supposed to have slain.

"It's okay," she murmured, smiling tenderly. "It's okay."

_No, it's not,_ he told her silently, turning his head away from her. Because those were the exact words she had used when she had trapped him, captured him, and it was so painful to remember. He felt the tears starting to rise, but he tightly closed his eyes; the situation was already… bad enough.

And then she did the unthinkable. Before he knew it, she had him in her arms, cradling him as she began humming to herself. It was just like the last time, he thought, opening his eyes. He couldn't escape, and her heat pressed against him, solid and domineering. But… he could feel it now, the kind warmth slowly seeping into his skin, chasing away the cold and the voices. She held him tightly, her embrace closed and sincere, making him wonder why she was helping him, why she didn't just let him die like the rest of them…

"Aang, you have a fever," she then said worriedly, a hand coming to his forehead. "You're burning."

She sounded as if she was actually concerned about him, a meek, but amused voice said in his head. And a light feeling spread through him as he acknowledged the thought, every second becoming stronger. It was so familiar, this tingling sensation, and he remembered feeling a small dose of it before the betrayal, before he had succumbed to steady, yet empty control… _Happiness._ He had forgotten how it was, to be content and carefree. The emotion had died along with the twelve-year-old when he had been scarred.

"I'm sorry," the girl suddenly whispered, resting her hand on his. "I'm sorry for… everything I did. I'm sorry I made you so sad. I fell in love with the enemy, and I don't regret that, but I… I should have never turned my back on you. Not the way I did two years ago. I don't really know what I should have done then, but I know for sure that I shouldn't have hurt you bad. I could have saved you, but I didn't."

Words. They were only meaningless words. Insubstantial. Why was he being so childish then, believing them? But he was just a child, wasn't he? No matter how much he gave up, his youth, his right to be free and carefree… he couldn't change the fact that he wasn't what he was supposed to be. Grown-up. Invincible. But wasn't that… all right?

"You have every right to hate me, and I know you'll never forgive me," she went on sadly, hugging him more tightly. "And if you want to kill me, you can. I just wanted you to know… And you shouldn't be angry at Sokka. It was all a misunderstanding. He didn't betray you, and no one tried to kill you."

He felt something damp on his face. It was only when he put a hesitant hand on his cheek did he realize that he had been crying silently. The past, he had so far looked at it as a dark abyss that he had left behind, but he was presently starting to remember it wasn't so bad years ago, that he shouldn't just have left it behind. He should have had… _overcome_ it…

And he believed her. It even bewildered him that no doubts sprang into his mind, even though a lot of things were still left unexplained. The ugly picture of yesterday lost its spiteful glow, and although he knew he was still hurt, he was feeling better, recovering. There were footsteps coming towards him, and a moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We've got your back," Sokka's quiet, real words reminded him of the day in the Southern Air Temple, when he had had hands to hold onto, and maybe… he still did…

For a long time, there was nothing but silence hanging in the thick air of the prisoner's chamber. But finally, the child looked up to them both, who were gazing at him with worry and love.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**A/N**: Yes, that was the climax. And no, there was practically no violence whatsoever. And yes, I do have a shield so you can't throw any tomatoes at me. (Cowers behind her shield as tomatoes are thrown.) Somehow, when I edited this chapter, I felt that the climax is all right, at least not a total disappointment, but a part of me is screaming in my ears and saying that I should have inserted some sort of violence to make the climax exciting. Please tell me that my insane side is _wrong_ and that violence does not make a climax good. This chapter wasn't a total let down, right?

After all, it's all very believable and reasonable (I hope). Aang is only fourteen and he has shown to be exceptionally strong in my story if he almost went as far as killing Katara, even about to do it if Zuko hadn't barged in at exactly the right moment. Also, he _is_ essentially a mellow character, no matter how much he tries to cloak it because of the demands of his duty.

Besides, as some people have pointed out, haven't I tortured the huggable monk enough? (Hugs Aang and dodges as more tomatoes are thrown.)

If you are seriously unsatisfied with this chapter, feel free to review or tell me in your own special way (besides trying to viciously assassinate me, that is). And now that Aang has found happiness (hugs Aang again), the story is (obviously) almost done. But please hang around; the conclusion is worth waiting for.

Review if you're nice.


	21. Epilogue

**Hardened Winds**

_Epilogue_

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A few days later, Sokka entered the avatar's chamber, only to find a letter on his neatly tucked bed.

_What I need now is for some time alone. Thanks for everything you… everyone… did for me, and I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry how I was these last two years, but I'm trying to be better now. I promise. Even when I know that I'll never fully recover._

_Aang_

Gaping at the note in his hands, the South Pole native scanned the letter a few more times, and there was a lot in his best friend's words that he did not understand. _I'm sorry…? _Aang didn't need to apologize for anything, yet not only was the monk now trying to sound as if Sokka had been the one who had the most grief these days, but he was also... gone? _Gone!_ A groan rose from his throat as he immediately started inspecting every corner of the avatar's chamber, almost hoping he would catch the fourteen-year-old playing hide-and-seek with him. No such chance, Sokka realized ten minutes later, brooding on Aang's bed without a clue where the airbender had gone.

He had just recovered from his illness, the seventeen-year-old thought, scowling. Why would he just suddenly embark on another journey? Didn't the boy care about his health at all? The last three days, the avatar had stayed in his bed with layers of suffocating blankets and a hot towel on his forehead, with Katara constantly watching over him. Attentive to his every need, she had sometimes spoken to him in soft tones, and other times, she had been silent, when it had been clear that all Aang needed was some good rest and a hand to grasp. It was amazing how his sister had been so intent on keeping his best friend company, not wanting to leave him on his own for even a moment, and the avatar had wanted it that way, too.

It was because of the waterbender that Aang had recovered so quickly, so fully from his intense fever that had gradually crept onto him a week before. She was the traitor, the enemy, but somehow she had managed to change that around, to cure the avatar despite what she had done. It was an incredible feat, and Sokka was even a little jealous, seeing how he hadn't been able to truly help his best friend himself. Still, he had done his part. He had been the one who had stood besides Aang for more than three years, ever since the first time they had met (excluding the time when he had kept a mistrusting eye on the hyper twelve-year-old). Plus, just two days ago, he had explained to the monk exactly what had happened on that night when he and Zuko had teamed up to free Katara, as well as all the other secrets he had hidden from the avatar before.

So everyone was happy. Kind of. Although Aang hadn't said anything, it was obvious that Katara had been forgiven, and she was presently acting a lot more cheerful. Zuko… everyone seemed to have forgotten about him and his awaited execution, so it could just be assumed that Aang had dropped all his charges on him and that the prince was free, too. Although the firebender _did_ seem a little envious of how much attention Katara was paying attention to the fourteen-year-old, Sokka thought with a smirk.

Nothing dramatic had changed with Aang, but he wasn't going downhill as he had been when Sokka had started avoiding him, being suspicious of him. Perhaps he was even getting better, bit by bit. And the second-in-command? He was happy that his best friend could now rely on Katara, too (he would always keep an eye on her, though, in case history repeated itself), and that nothing serious had happened to his best friend. At least until he found out that Aang recently disappeared. Leaving only a stupid note telling him nothing.

Sokka sighed. It would never be easy, would it? The second one problem was solved, another would arise. But remembering what had happened in the prisoner's chamber, a small smile appeared on his lips. Still, he mused, picking up a thick, sealed envelop besides the letter that had until now gone unnoticed, there would always be promises that there would be a solution to the most impossible situations. Leaving Aang's room, he decided to open the envelop later.

As he made his way down the stairs, he stopped when he unexpectedly saw someone all too familiar heading towards him.

"Hey."

Sokka blinked, automatically raising his guards as he looked at the former pirate in front of him. Their last conversation together… didn't go all too well. Misaki brushed his green bangs away from his face before smiling sheepishly.

"Sokka," he started quietly, "I'm… uh… sorry about what happened between us a week ago. I shouldn't have been so… bad."

The older one stared at the other, taken back. Misaki had _never_ apologized to him before. True, they had had many fights since the first time they had laid eyes on each other, but usually they had resolved the conflict by avoiding each other for a week or so until the fight had been completely forgotten. Not the best method, Sokka had known, but nobody could get an apology from the fiery former pirate. Things had evidently changed, though.

And it was clear that the sixteen-year-old was unfamiliar with apologizing with his present stuttering. Sokka smiled at the thought.

"You are forgiven," he then said with ease, even inserting a little pompousness to irritate his friend.

He was surprised at how easily his pardon had come out from him, even more astonished at how good it felt to simply let go of the small grudge he had held against Misaki. One way to overcome the past, he pondered, closing his eyes, was to forgive. Even when it was so hard, sometimes it just wasn't worth holding onto. His sister's smile instantly came to mind.

"Don't act so smug," Misaki said flatly in front of him, making Sokka smirk. "I just came to apologize. I'm not begging or anything."

"That would be a dream come true, wouldn't it?"

The younger boy punched his shoulder playfully.

"Don't make me angry again," he warned, laughing. "You wouldn't want that, would you, dear commander?"

"I don't know about that…"

"Anyway," Misaki stepped away from him, a finger tugging at his verdant bangs. "I'm thinking of changing my color. What do you think of red? Or blue?"

"You're changing your bangs already?" Sokka asked.

"Hey, it's time for a change, isn't it? Change is always good. And-… argh," the former pirate put a hand on his forehead. "I forgot to do something for Gloria. I'll see you later, okay? And you better come up with a good color by then!"

He flew past Sokka, leaving the latter amused. _Blue would be good for him,_ he thought, continuing his way downstairs, _the color is for calm, isn't it?_ But for now, he had other things to think about; he had to deliver the news about Aang to the others.

----- ----- -----

It all came to this. It just _had_ to come to this.

It was very annoying to think about it, really. He remembered how it had began: just a simple mission to free Katara from this blasted place, even if it required the help of her brother, the water tribe idiot. No avatar in the plan, at all. Yet somehow the latter _had_ to catch them in action, had to deduce his own horrible, _wrong_ conclusions, and had to pretend he was going to execute the love of his life and provoke him into trying to kill him… only to just break down in the last minute and have Katara to rush to his rescue. Yes, recollecting the past events truly did irk him.

And that wasn't even the worst of it. Now it came down to the avatar going on his own pleasant vacation, leaving the rest of them to fret and worry. The child didn't even tell them where he was going! And because of this, he thought, closing his eyes in infuriation, he was presently watching Katara as she went through her enormous backpack again, checking if she had everything for her journey. And what exactly was her new expedition? To catch up with the avatar, after he had explicitly said that he wanted some time alone in his letter. The girl was so ignorant sometimes.

The steel gates of the castle of Omashu loomed high and grand behind him, while beyond the bustling city, the vast, barren landscape of the Earth Nation stretched forever into the horizon. Unending chains of toothed, parched mountains climbed eagerly towards the clouded sky, and below, a fruitless, arid landscape lay waiting for anyone who dared trek on its miserable surface. And despite the desert-like scenery, it was actually very cold. To think that the waterbender was determined to walk miles on this scorched ground to scale the intimidating mountains and to go for days –possibly _weeks_- with limited food and water… for just one, little person who didn't even _want_ her. The mere thought made him grit his teeth.

Of course, he had tried to convince Katara not to go. He had tried being gentle, being commanding, even being just a little angry… everything! Still, she hadn't listened, had told him that the avatar needed her despite what he had wrote in his letter, giving him a criticizing look as she reminded him that the avatar was still merely a fourteen-year-old child. Now, it just had to come to this: watching Katara getting prepared to leave him outside the castle and being unable to do anything about it.

The prince wasn't the only one who was a little unsure about Katara's decision. Her brother, the South Pole brat, was besides him, his arms crossed and wearing a sullen look as he watched Katara's every move, every once in a while making a displeased sound. When she was finally done looking over her things, he took a step towards her.

"I really don't think you should be doing this," he said solemnly. "I think Aang really needs some time for himself."

"Yes, you told me this again and again," Katara sighed, hoisting the heavy leather pack onto her back. "But it's not as if I'm going to stick onto Aang like a leech. If I find him, I'll decide whether he really wants to be alone or not. If I see he does, I'll just keep my distance from him and look after him from far away. If he does need some company, I'll be there." She smiled. "Don't worry, Sokka. I'll be fine. I have lots of food and water, and if I see my supplies are running out, I'll head directly to the village of Kali."

She gazed at him earnestly. After a moment, her brother groaned and shook her head.

"Fine, do whatever you want," he told her gruffly. "Just know… not to go too far."

Katara glared at him, making the buffoon smirk, before at last going over to the firebender.

"Zuko," she started quietly, "I hope you're not too angry about this."

"Annoyed, yes," he answered sincerely. "Angry… it can be much worse."

She smiled softly.

"That's good," she stated. "And I'll be back very soon, okay? Besides, if you don't want to look at my trip as something to do with 'the avatar,' think about this as me needing some time alone, okay?" She winked, and he gave her a dubious look.

"Fine," he said a moment later. "You can go. Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course. I won't get myself captured this time."

Rolling his eyes slightly, he then leaned over and kissed her. When he withdrew, he glanced at Katara's brother and was more than amused when he saw a deranged grimace on the other's face; his left eye was twitching, making it hard for him to glower at the firebender, while his face was contorted into a disgusted and furious expression. Katara, though, seemed oblivious to his displeasure.

"I'm going then," she announced, beaming. "See you guys!"

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" the idiot called after her in a strangled voice, evidently still suffering from what he had seen earlier.

"Yes, yes," Katara yelled, already walking away from them. "I saw Appa flying over the north mountains early this morning, and I know that he was carrying Aang. And I have a compass, so stop worrying!"

And before her brother could shout out anything else to her, she hurried away, a moment later completely out of their sight as one of Omashu's towers hid her from their view. The buffoon sighed.

"Well," he soon turned to Zuko. "You should get out of here before I decide to arrest you on a whim."

"As if you could," the prince muttered, scowling.

When Katara had left, she had obviously forgotten something. She hadn't thought about what would happen once she left the two boys on their own… together. The only thing preventing Zuko from tearing the loudmouth apart was her displeasure, after all, but without the waterbender to actually stop him from going too far… there were no guarantees.

"What are you waiting for?" the avatar's second-in-command raised an eyebrow at him. "You won't stay here, will you?"

"Actually," a small smirk tugged at his lips. "Maybe I will."

"_What?_" the other gawked at him. "No way! I won't allow you to stay for no reason at all!"

"I have a reason, though," the firebender said lightly. "It's to help my nation."

"If you really want to help your nation, you should go there, shouldn't you?"

"Yes, that's one way, but…" he looked at the water tribe idiot in the eye, "the avatar left you instructions on how to deal with the other nations, right? Along with his personal notes?"

"… Yes."

"I want to see them," Zuko said firmly.

"I'm not just going to let you see what Aang wrote just like this!" the younger adolescent cried out indignantly. "You're still from the Fire Nation!"

"You're still living in the past, aren't you?" the banished one snapped. "My father is gone, and the Fire Nation isn't the enemy anymore! It's not going to be the same anymore, and I'm going to make sure of it the moment I have the throne!"

Katara's brother looked at him skeptically, and he himself was bemused at how these strange words had rolled off his tongue. So far, he hadn't known exactly what would happen once he became Fire Lord, but now that he was already on the topic, he found out that what he had just said might have some truth in it… There had been too much of a rift between his nation and the others when there had been the war, so much that he doubted that it could ever be repaired, even if someone like him did rule the entire world… And a rift, he realized recently, caused nothing but harm, no matter when or where. The best thing for his home was for the crack to heal. The Fire Nation couldn't afford hostility.

"I want to look at the notes," he then began on a calmer note, "because it might help me decide what to do with the Fire Nation."

"Other than trying to rule the world again?"

Zuko paused. Attempting to conquer all four nations, that had been his ancestors' goal since his great-grandfather Sozen had unleashed the first attack on the world with his comet more than a hundred years ago. It would be disappointing them if he took a new route, if he refused to follow in their footsteps, but… the future wasn't there so that people could repeat the past. The future held new beginnings, new ideas, new _changes_… that shouldn't be wasted. And what was the point of being Fire Lord if he truly had no say in what he did, following orders from dead firebenders who no longer mattered?

_Uncle was right._

"No, I'm not."

Three innocent words. However, these words were powerful enough to cause the other's head to jerk towards him, his eyes to widen in shock.

"You're bluffing," was the first thing he said when he regained his voice. "There's no use lying, Zuko, because we're going to watch you no matter what."

"Do whatever you like," the prince retorted, giving the other a scathing look, "but ever since I learned he would never want me back, I looked down at my father for what he did, for what he believed in. Do you think I would want to become just like him?"

"It's likely."

It took every mental restraint Zuko had not to burn the guy alive.

"I want to know what the avatar is up to," he said quietly. "I want to know what he's going to do to help the world, to help my nation. And then maybe… maybe…"

"You can help?" the buffoon looked completely disbelieving. "You're kidding, aren't you? Or…" his eyes narrowed, "you're going to turn on us the moment you have enough information. Yes, that must be it…" He glared hard at Zuko, forcing the prince to admit that he could look the slightest bit intimidating when he felt like it.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" the eighteen-year-old said casually. "I mean, if you have so much faith in your avatar, you should believe that he'll be able to defeat me no matter what."

Katara's brother looked satisfied at the answer.

"Yes, exactly," he agreed, nodding vigorously, yet his expression soon turned from fierce approval to bewilderment. "But why are _you_ saying this? I thought you believed that you could kick Aang's butt any day."

"People can be wrong."

Smirking at his puzzled expression, Zuko turned on his heels and headed back inside, and somehow he wasn't surprised when the gates swung open, welcoming him inside. He heard Sokka's yells from behind, yet he continued marching briskly away. Let the idiot catch up with him, he needed the exercise anyway. And what he needed… was a new start.

----- ----- -----

The clouds above were light and wispy, a fragile white that let the serene blue of the gentle sky penetrate through them to give them an ethereal appearance. It was surprisingly warm, considering the fact that coldhearted winter was coming, but lying down on his back, Aang was glad that he could enjoy one last warm day before the snow would fall and cast its spell. A soft breeze ruffled Appa's thick, white fur, so unlike the harsh winds that had tormented the avatar when he had been alone and helpless in the cave, but Aang was determined to forget it all… _No,_ he thought, closing his eyes, _to just let go._

Below him, there were the infinite mountain peeks, jagged and unforgiving, dotting the land and eager to impale anyone unfortunate enough to fall to them. It was a fearful sight, the child knew as he looked down, but he didn't need to stare at it, did he? Turning back towards the wonderful skies, he knew that it was his choice… it had _always_ been his choice. These last years, he had always looked down, always dwelt on what was below him, behind him, but now… he knew he was taking a new turn. The boundless cerulean of the hopeful skies were luring, playfully seeking his attention, and he smiled, knowing that there was a new goal in his life now.

Slowly, he sat up on Appa, resting his head onto the hairy one of the giant beast, his fingers caressing his animal guardian's fur. He would never go back to what he had been, he knew, but he could change, creating a whole new road of possibilities for him. Besides, if he went back to his content, but ignorant twelve-year-old self, he risked… making the same mistakes happen again. No, it was time to say a final good-bye to what could have been, because there he was –and would stay- a different person, if not entirely.

He wanted to be happy now, to be the avatar, pleasing the world, while keeping in mind his own well-being… what _pleased_ him. It was odd thinking about what he wanted after neglecting himself for so long, but he was sure that the idea would soon settle into him, would become part of him… After all, he couldn't succeed as the avatar if he couldn't live as himself. And that… couldn't happen if he was always isolating himself from others, always thinking that he was on his own. Because people truly cared for him, and he could lean on them, rely on them again as he had done before, he was starting to learn.

And the determined girl following after him step by step, looking up into the sky and smiling at him from miles away, only confirmed his new beliefs.

) )o ( ( ) ) o ( ( ) ) o ( (

….

….

….

**A/N**: It's _DONE._ My second fanfiction (and my longest story yet) is done, completed, and entirely posted! (Does ultimate victory dance.) Actually, I should be disappointed and should be chastising myself because I was way off my original deadline. After all, _Hardened Winds_ did not actually take longer than a year to accomplish, that statistic is miles off. But putting that aside… I should be HAPPY. This story is more than 100,000 words long –a new record!- and even though there are millions of ways the fanfiction could be better, I actually don't feel so embarrassed when I reread this story!

Can I even be bold enough to say that I'm _proud_ of this piece of work?

I am so thankful towards all my readers and reviewers who glanced at _Hardened Winds_ and decided to give it a try. Truly, I am grateful to you all, but I would like to take a moment (and lots of space) to thank some special individuals:

MysticWaterBender3: (stares in awe) You reviewed every single chapter of my story. That's so… _dedicated_. (Continues staring.) Thank-you so much for all the kind and generous words you gave to me, most of them which I don't even deserve! Your reviews really spurred me on, and I always looked forward to them when I posted a new chapter. Even when it seemed as if I abandoned this story, not posting for months and months, you were eagerly waiting and still reviewing when I came back to life! Thank-you, thank-you… Every review you wrote was so encouraging…. They just made me smile.

AirGirl Phantom: You were another reviewer who still stuck to the story even when everything seemed to be lost. Thank you for telling me what you thought about _Hardened Winds_, giving me great compliments and also criticism and advice. Thanks for writing a poem dedicated to this fanfiction as well. Nobody has ever done that, and I feel so special.

frozenheat: You are one of my newer readers, but I still want to thank you for giving me the few considerate reviews you wrote! They were refreshing, especially since it was so evidently revealed that you are a Katara X Aang fan. Yeah, my fanfiction didn't really end up as the love story you hoped for, but… the end might hint something more, right? I'll explain more of all these romantic notions soon.

_Danette LaBrie_: Thank-you for personally e-mailing me about this story and then reviewing, too! You're a very enthusiastic reader, and I'm glad you love Aang as much or even more than I do. (Hugs Aang again.) He's happy now… and things are going to be even better.

whirleeq: I haven't heard from you for a while, but when you did give me reviews, they were so sophisticated and inspiring! I loved how long they usually were, with professional compliments and criticism that made me determined to do better, especially since I know that you are a better and more mature writer than I am. I'm glad you took time to read this fanfiction!

Ryuusui: You were so animated in your reviews! I'm sad that I haven't heard from you much, either, but I still remember the words you gave me. They were so amusing, especially when you tried to defend yourself from being a Zuko-lover and cursing Misaki… Don't worry; your Zuko is all right now, even if he is a little lonely without Katara….

If I didn't mention you in the above, I'm sorry and I am also immensely grateful to you for reading this!

Also…. There is the 'romance' factor. How many of you thought this was going to be a Katara X Aang fanfiction? And how many believed this was definitely Katara X Zuko? Okay, on the surface, the latter would be correct, but in my eyes, _Hardened Winds_ was barely a romance story at all. I'm not good at writing romance, and it makes me twitch when I do (I'm not that mature, sorry?). I can't feel so proud of romance stories, so I hope this fanfiction had much more than simple love notions. Katara and Zuko's relationship was just a side story, really, and by how my story ended, there are still a lot more possibilities and opportunities… For those Katara X Aang fans who are so dejected out there…

Still, as long as Aang heals, I don't care whether he really gets 'involved' with Katara or not. That wasn't my original intention. I'm… sorry? (Ducks from tomatoes.)

I don't support any ships, by the way. I don't understand Katara X Zuko and never will. I used to want Katara X Aang but now realize that the show completely exploited the couple way too much. Besides… I don't know… I want Aang to stay cute and innocent. And Katara might destroy that if everything goes 'romantic' between those two. (Shifty eyes.) A new couple, though, Toph X Aang… I think that's so adorable, especially since they're both twelve. They're be hitting and fighting each other to express their love. How sweet! At one point, though, it doesn't fit.

The rare good Aang X Zuko and Sokka X Zuko fanfictions are simply delightful. They're cute and complicated and would be a challenge to write. Aang and Zuko dancing together… I love the concept.

Okay, enough about my rants. I know I should be going any time now. By the way, my birthday just passed (for those nonexistent people who remember) and I got an _Avatar_ DVD from my friends. I'm so grateful to them (I hope you hear this!) and I love how I can now hear Aang speaking in French. Wheeee!

I wish I could understand the Spanish, though… In time, in time.

The lines I absolutely adore in the French version are the ones spoken in Episode 13: The Blue Spirit. Here they are translated in raw French (somewhat paraphrased, sorry).

Herbalist Lady: You have to get your friends to suck the frogs from the swamp, but make sure to get many… because once they're unfrozen, they're useless!

Aang: … You're unfrozen, aren't you?

(Cracks up laughing.) Things you just can't get from subtitles, even though my DVD doesn't have any.

Okay, I'm done.

Thank-you all again.

… \\ _Ténèbres d'Éden \\_ …


End file.
